Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Back seatwhere riders find the ejector air Loose lap barthighs slam into it on the hills

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California

Giant Dipper

“A strong pop of ejector air.”

1900192519501975200020251924older than 440 of theother 445 coasters we cover
POV
Ride it: back row POV
Back row
you are simply tethered to it
What riders love
  • Its hills give some Magnum XL-200 magic seat ejector airtime in the back seat!!!
  • The airtime is insane, so insane that my thighs slammed into the lapbar on one of the hills.
  • It also looks great with the paint job and it has buzz bars so you feel free and open over some of the stronger airtime moments, especially that hop into the midcourse.
  • Fantastic airtime and laterals through the whole layout, and it's remarkably smooth for a ride so old.
  • The first time I went to the Boardwalk I rode it 18 times with my friend, and that’s something I’ll remember forever.
  • I understand why coasters became so popular in this country because in 1924 they built this thing of beauty.
  • Its seaside beach setting makes it extremely scenic.
  • It's a classic boardwalk coaster, with a fun layout, great head chopper moments, some excellent airtime, and it's simply gorgeous.
  • Also the seaside views are amazing.
Giant Dipper Watch Performance Should I ride it? Specifications Reviews Planning History

Watch POVs and more

Giant Dipper Hypersmooth On-ride Front Seat (4K POV) Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

youtube.com › Attraction Spot

Giant Dipper Roller Coaster On Ride Back Seat 4K POV Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk 2025 04 07

youtube.com › ShagWZan

2021-10-16 Giant Dipper Roller Coaster On Ride Ultra HD POV Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

youtube.com › ShagWZan

Giant Dipper Wooden Roller Coaster Offride POV Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

youtube.com › Theme Park Review

Liliana Reviews: First Giant Dipper Ride

youtube.com › Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Giant Dipper Review, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Classic Wood Coaster | Best Boardwalk Coaster?

youtube.com › Canobie Coaster

Santa Cruz Giant Dipper Review | Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk | Classic Wooden Coaster

youtube.com › Coaster Hour

The Giant Dipper Rocks! 😎

youtube.com › Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Do You Remember Your First Giant Dipper Ride?

youtube.com › Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Giant Dipper entrance

youtube.com › Nefasventures

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk waiting for the Giant Dipper

youtube.com › Stephen Franklin

Performance

Vs. other coasters at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

It’s a classic boardwalk coaster, with a fun layout, great head chopper moments, some excellent airtime, and it’s simply gorgeous.

Zee Williams

A strong pop of ejector air.

Incredible Coasters

I wouldn’t say that the 8th oldest coaster is anything mind-blowing, but there’s plenty of airtime pops to have a good time.

Reed Dutton

Although not all of them do, throughout the ride there is sufficient airtime and some enjoyable head choppers can be found within the support structure.

The Coaster Kings

The layout after the drop is very typical for a coaster of its era, and the hills/drops provide only minor airtime, but the unobtrusive lap bars still make the ride fairly exciting.

Erik C.

Almost 100 years old, smooth as glass (slight rattle in even rows but I’ve ridden worse B&M’s) great headchoppers, and some good pops of laterals and airtime?

Ivan M.

At 91 years old, it’s smoother than many modern woodies and really only has one or two rough spots.

The Coaster Kings

I dont know if this was because i sat in the back but on some of the turns i was slammed into the side of the train and rattled around in my seat.

Kevin Li

I really wanted to like this ride, especially since I was told this was the better of the two giant dipper boardwalk coasters, but at least the one at Belmont didn’t give me bruises.

Nicholas Miller

This ride is now over 100 years old, and is only 70 feet tall, but this is one of the most out of control coasters I have ever experienced.

Eli Lassiter Michael

Considering it’s age this is a pretty forceful wooden coaster.

Valentin Schneider

Overall, I felt violated and attacked on a personal level by a geriatric coaster wearing red and white.

Andre Chris-Sargent

This is the signature ride at this Californian seaside park and it offers a shockingly good experience full of intense laterals and airtime.

Canobie Coaster

It is a moderate to high-end thrill, but it is tame enough for the family.

@TommyBowerscoasters

It takes this course at **speed**, so we were essentially flying through its elements in the *morning*.

Andre Chris-Sargent

The tunnel was definitely the best surprise, as the tunnel is much longer than you expect, going through several turns in darkness which makes it seem twice as fast as it actually is.

Erik C.

Now, the ride definitely ran faster as the day went on, and by the nighttime, it was hauling.

808CoasterLife

The first drop isn’t much to talk about, and there’s a wide turn about halfway through that is kind of a dead spot, but other than that, this layout is insane once the coaster warms up.

Eli Lassiter Michael

The multiple moments where it dives suddenly make up for its lack of speed.

Silver Star

Line was not too long, the queue walls have a lot to offer about its history.

Jesse Hwang

It can be rough and get really long lines but I personally really enjoyed this.

Fsoer Realm

Should I ride it?

Organize by

Specifications

70 ftHeight
70 GiantDipper 50 Undertow
65 ftFirst drop
55 mphTop speed
Giant Dipper55 Undertow40 055 mph
0Inversions

What riders say

Praised for

FunStrong airtimeRider favouriteGreat views

Criticised for

Rough or rattlyPainful or bruising

I wouldn’t say that the 8th oldest coaster is anything mind-blowing, but there’s plenty of airtime pops to have a good time.

Reed Dutton, Captain Coaster review

If you ever wanted to know what it feels like to have a your spine readjusted in really time, then this ride is for you.

Nicholas Miller, Captain Coaster review

I came into this ride with very high expectations based on what everyone was saying online, but after i rode it i have to admit it is slightly overrated.

Kevin Li, Captain Coaster review

It’s classic, it’s scenic, and it offers great airtimes and headchoppers that still get my adrenaline going every time.

Ethan Finn, Captain Coaster review

Although not all of them do, throughout the ride there is sufficient airtime and some enjoyable head choppers can be found within the support structure.

The Coaster Kings, published review

The tunnel was definitely the best surprise, as the tunnel is much longer than you expect, going through several turns in darkness which makes it seem twice as fast as it actually is.

Erik C., Captain Coaster review

Photos

Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0
Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5
The Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California
BrokenSphere, CC BY-SA 3.0
Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Ceeewolf, CC BY-SA 3.0
Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Mike Fernwood from Santa Cruz, California, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
FASTILY, CC BY-SA 4.0
Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
MARELBU, CC BY 3.0
Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5
Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary), CC BY 2.5

11 photographs. Swipe or drag sideways.

Planning your ride

History and awards

May 17, 1924Opened

, designed by Frederick Church.

Past incidents

  1. 1924The ride has experienced several major incidents over the years in which three people died.

Golden Ticket Awards, top wood coaster: ranked in 27 polls, 1998 to 2026

18th1998, its first poll
13th2015, its best placing
47th2026, most recent
0incidents blamed on the ride

Sources

Restraint types: Captain Coaster. History, incidents and awards: Wikipedia. Specifications and status: Coasterpedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Also read: Captain Coaster (converted to feet and mph). Rider sentiment and performance scores: rider reviews on Captain Coaster, incrediblecoasters.com, thecoasterkings.com, youtube.com, read and scored by AirtimeFever.

Photographs via Wikimedia Commons: The wub (CC BY-SA 4.0), Larry Pieniazek, User:Lar, (primary) (CC BY 2.5), BrokenSphere (CC BY-SA 3.0), Ceeewolf (CC BY-SA 3.0), Mike Fernwood from Santa Cruz, California, United States (CC BY-SA 2.0), MARELBU (CC BY 3.0), FASTILY (CC BY-SA 4.0). Video thumbnails remain the property of their channels and link back to them.

Quote at the top of the page: Incredible Coasters, published review.

What riders love, by theme (themes in the order riders pick them most on Captain Coaster): Eli Lassiter Michael, rider review on Captain Coaster: “There are crazy powerful sustained ejector hills that throw…”; NorCal Coaster Media, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Its hills give some Magnum XL-200 magic seat ejector…”; Kevin Li, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The airtime is insane, so insane that my thighs…”; Ivan M., rider review on Captain Coaster: “It also looks great with the paint job and…”; Andre Chris-Sargent, rider review on Captain Coaster: “This coaster is an ancient beast. It's a sea…”; Scott Quisenberry, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Fantastic airtime and laterals through the whole layout, and…”; Ethan Finn, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The first time I went to the Boardwalk I…”; Brian Sheldon, rider review on Captain Coaster: “I understand why coasters became so popular in this…”; John Montague, rider review on Captain Coaster: “The location is about as good as any coaster…”; Anthony Dale Castro, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Its seaside beach setting makes it extremely scenic.”; Zee Williams, rider review on Captain Coaster: “It's a classic boardwalk coaster, with a fun layout,…”; Cali Thoosie, rider review on Captain Coaster: “Also the seaside views are amazing.”; Andre Chris-Sargent, rider review on Captain Coaster: “You do not ride this coaster: you are simply…”.

The photo slider at the top and the fading stills: ShagWZan's back row POV, Giant Dipper Roller Coaster On Ride Back Seat 4K POV Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk 2025 04 07 (YouTube), and the page's Wikimedia Commons photographs.