Undertow, a Spinning Roller Coaster, Will Replace Hurricane at the Beach Boardwalk

The staff at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk spent a day sifting through names before they settled on one to christen their new spinning roller coaster: Undertow.

"It sounds dangerous but not too dangerous," said Kris Reyes, the park spokesman, who showed a video of the new ride (see youtube here).

Park staff tried the ride at Lagoon Park in Utah and loved it. Some loved it too much, riding six times. Others were set with just one.

What makes this roller coaster different from the Hurricane, which has been up for 20 years, is that riders are put in small cars of only four people. The ride is different each time, based on the weight of the riders.

Hurricane will be running until Labor Day and then will close. The new ride will be ready by next summer season.

Take a last ride on the Hurricane by video here.