SheiKra vs. Griffon: Dive Coaster Showdown
Comparisons between America’s two dive coasters, Busch Gardens Africa’s SheiKra and Busch Gardens Europe’s Griffon are inevitable. From the time Busch announced Griffon’s details enthusiasts the debate began.
Theming
Busch did an excellent job integrating Griffon into New France. The station, landscaping, and shops of were all complete when I visited BGE not long after Griffon opened. I liked how Griffon had its own section in New France. The splash section was off to the side unlike at BGA where SheiKra’s splash spilled over to the main pathway through Stanleyville. They are both themed well and integrated into the parks well. But I give the slight edge to Griffon.
Edge: Griffon
The Drop
The drops on both of the coasters are insane. It’s a twenty-story drop at a staggering 90-degrees. Griffon’s is slightly taller at 205 feet versus SheiKra’s 200 feet. While the 5 foot difference in height is negligible, the bridge you pass under at the bottom of the Griffon’s drop gives a decent arm chopper effect. Edge: Griffon
Loops
Both roller coasters feature Immelmann loops. An Immelmann is a simultaneous loop and roll, the named after a World War I German flying ace who invented the maneuver. SheiKra offers one 165-foot tall Immelmann while Griffon’s has two Immelmanns, the largest of which is 146-feet tall. Believe it or not, you really can feel the difference between the loops. The highlight of SheiKra for me was its extreme Immelmann where the track goes straight up for what feels like a long time before inverting and finishing the maneuver. I prefer SheiKra’s extra-large loop, but Griffon has two loops. It’s a tough call.
Edge: SheiKra
Verdict
To be fair I only rode SheiKra once and I got three rides on Griffon. I think the airtime on Griffon gives it the edge over SheiKra. The two loops and passing under the bridge further help Griffon’s case. But they’re both great coasters.
Winner: Griffon
What’s Your Take?
Which dive coaster do you prefer SheiKra or Griffon. What do you think? Leave a comment below.
Coaster Critic 
43 responses to “Griffon vs SheiKra | Roller Coaster Showdown”
Personaly i've never been on any of them but, i've seen videos of both of them and i liked Sheikra better. i like the loops and the plumets. but the best part is when you go threw that mountain thing. IT'S THE BEST!!!
Ive been on Sheikra hundreds of times since i live 15 min from Busch Gardens Tampa,the theming is awesome but i think Griffon looks better i plan to go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg eventually since i have alot of family in VA and MD.
Never been on Griffon but just rode Sheikra for the first time…it's like flying! This coaster really is in a class by itself for smoothness and exhiliration. I say go to whichever Busch Gardens park is closest to you, and enjoy.
I say Sheikra because it has a great tunnel and 2 very good sharp turns. It could depend on where you live also. If you live near BGA closer, you probably think that sheikra is better. If you live closer to BGE you probably think Griffon is better. I think they are both great but completely different theming of rides but I think Sheikra won a bit with the theming and the ride itself. Griffon is a great ride but not much theming to it.
why is this even a comparison? Griffon is a CLONE of SheiKra. THEY ARE EXACTLY THE SAME!!!
Read the post Millennium Fan. They're not clones. I wouldn't compare clones.
Dude, they definitely aren't the same. Dive coasters. Basically the only similarity.
yeah its just like saying apollos chariot and nitro are the same. They look the same, and they have the same restraints, but they arent the same trust me. The Griffon is 5 feet taller than Shiekra. The first inversion i dont know how to spell it on the shiekra seems to be longer than the Griffon. And Shiekra only has 1 inversion but the Griffon has 2. And after the first inversion on Skiekra notice how the Griffon and how the Shiekra turn differently. Trust me dude, they arent even close
hey coaster critic, you know right before the Griffon goes under the bridge you hear this click noise do you know what that is. Just look at a video of it. Right when your about to go under the bridge you hear this click thing
I'm going to have to go with Sheikra on this one. My reasoning? … no lines today, so I got to ride it 5 times today compared to one shot at Griffon. Sheikra is also much more (easily) photogenic!
sheikra is the best i am only 10 years old and i went in the 1 row and did not evan scream!!!!!!!!!griffon sucks!!!!!!!sheikra shreds!!!!!!!!
The Sheikra is so much better then the grffof or whatever its called…The Sheikra is the best ride I have ever been on…and I've been on alot! The groffin (I don't care what it's called) sucks! The Sheikra is better also because it is in Florida…the best place ever!! The griffn sucks!
How on earth can you say a roller coaster sucks if you can't even remember it's name?
I've only ridden Griffon I refuse to compare to sheikra until i ride it Griffon is my 10th favorite coaster out of 71.
to be honest i hate both coasters because im not very into weightlessness but if i hate to say ill go with griffon because it taller and i quite like immelann loops
i noticed that too its nothing to be worried about. i think it has something to do with the wheels pressing against the track harder or g forces.
Griffon all the way. Sheikra is a stupid copy griffon. Griffon came first!!! 🙂
Deion, for your information, SheiKra was built in 2005. Griffon was built in 2007. SheiKra is pretty much a classic, being America's first dive coaster. Griffon is a stupid copy of SheiKra. SheiKra came first!!! Next time before you say false information, check your research!
I agree with you. SheiKra is better all because it is like it has more intense feeling and adrenaline to it, especially the slow moving lift. Also, the mechanisms and gates in SheiKra's station is cooler compared to Griffon's. Then, when it comes to drops, there is not a huge difference. Griffon is five feet higher, but you can not tell. They are both 90 degrees. Lastly, SheiKra has the awesome tunnel at the second drop. To me, it felt like we were going to crash in the tunnel when a first rode SheiKra.
I like the SheiKra way more than the griffon I rode both of them the SheiKra is way better it is better than the stupid griffon by 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles!!!! the SheiKra is my favorite roller coaster out of 98 i rode!! and by the way i'm 12 years old and the SheiKra has a better name it makes it scary SheiKra RULES!!!!!!!!!!!
You haven't even been on the Griffon. You don't know anything! sheikra is smaller, lamer, and shorter. Sheikra sucks! Read the facts!!
You haven't even been on the Griffon either! DUH. You don't even know anything….
Thats real safe, you felt like you were gonna crash.. People don't even like longer lift rides! And Griffon has more adrenaline because it is taller, and is in a BETTER park! What your saying doesn't make any sense!
Wait, is this Temi?
Hmm… This seems to be a high intelligence debate.
There should be a required question before posting on these kinds of showdowns:
Have you ridden both rides?
__Yes
__No
Why are y'all arguing about somthing as stupid as which one is better. It doesnt matter which one is taller, or which one was first. Why don't we all agree that both are good rides.
Have you even ridden Griffon?
I have family that lives in Virginia. A few years back, I wen't there and we wen't to Busch Gardens. Wow! what a rush! Griffon in my opinion is a bit better. Just by the fact that I have been on it and it won 3 out of the four awards.
I have been on Griffon many times and it is an awesome rollercoaster. I'm not saying its better than sheikra cause I have never been on sheikra but anyone saying that Griffon sucks has no idea what they're talking about!!! Also please dont comment on which one is better if you have not been on BOTH of them!
i can't believe you picked griffon over sheikra because if you actually pay attention to the drop when riding both of there heights are lies and plus sheikra's drop is longer sheikra is actually 190 ft tall and griffon is actually 185 ft tall and if you look down before the drop the the buildings have a larger distance from the top of sheikra than the top of griffon
lets all stop arguing. they are both fantastic. griffion is just a little better looking
sheikras immelmenn is 145 ft! not 165! the tallest inversions in the world is 155 ft and thats on volcano blast coaster
The truth is that I did not ride any of them but I think sheiKra is better than griffon because of the stop before the drop
Oh dear, well where can I start, the lift goes up, same. But, Griffon is 205 FT and SheiKra 200. SheiKra is a 180 degree turnaround griffon is less, 120 I believe, then the drops are 205 and 195 respectively, one has a 145 FT immelmann and one has a 165 FT, SheiKra having the larger, then both have different layouts to the MCBR, then Griffon has a smaller exposed 2nd drop into a second, smaller immelmann, while SheiKra's is enclosed into another banked 180 into a splashdown, Griffon's is after the immelmann, then SheiKra has a small helix and brakes while Griffon has an airtime hill and then brakes. So there. Perfect "clones".
Wow u people are arguing like hes talking about your favorite football teams griffon has better drop more inversions shiekra has a bigger loop and tunnel second drop. Both have there prosand cons
Griffon does not suck. If you ridden it then you can say something about it. I personally like the griffon better and ive ridden both coasters. Griffon is just more powerful than sheikra.
Dude you can't say a coaster sucks just because you havent ridden it. Trust me ive ridden both rides and griffon kills sheikra. Griffon is taller and faster. The griffon trains look so much cooler than the sheikra train. Griffon's trains hold 10 people per row, sheikra only holds 8. plus griffo has an extra immmelman loop and it fits with the terrain vs sheikra's flat ground setting. Griffon wins
agreed!
this is all just plain silly arguing over which coaster is better mostly for those who have never ridden either one of them. From the videos they both look like a lot of fun. I’m sure that they both have unique things to offer but I agree with person who said you can’t really post anything unless you have ridden both of them. I’m going to Busch Gardens Europe soon and am really looking forward to it. I’m really excited to try out the Griffon. Someday I definitely want to ride Sheikra it looks amazing!!! I was much more impressed with Sheikra’s theming than Griffon’s though when I watched the videos of both.
Hey Coaster Critic, based on your reviews of both SheiKra and Griffon and also this roller coaster showdown, is there really a reason for a 1 point difference in their ratings? You said you liked SheiKra’s bigger Immelmann better, however Griffon has 2 Immelmanns so that should be a wash. You said Griffon has a headchopper effect on the first drop and a pop of airtime later on, however, SheiKra has the tunnel on the second drop, which you mentioned as a plus in its review. All in all, I’m not seeing a 1 point difference between the two (I’ve ridden both btw). The negatives you wrote about SheiKra (short, not living up to the hype, drops not challenging) could also be applied to Griffon. Shouldn’t there be a re-rating of ShieKra to line up more with this showdown and your reviews? I’m seeing a half-point difference between the two at best!
That’s a fair criticism Mike. I may have been let down by the hype surrounding the dive coaster experience a bit. After seeing Oblivion for years I imagined a 90-degree drop to be terrifying. When it wasn’t, I was let down. That’s not the coaster’s fault, but that’s how I felt at the time. Ridden again, without the hype and expectations you’re right the ratings would probably be closer. Although, I still prefer two loops to one.
i have rode sheikra a lot of time on my 3 visits to tampa and would like to ride griffon but has the first drop goes sheikra is awesome and griffon must be at least as good but the ultimate first drop on a drop coaster has to goto the very first one built and its here in England at alton towers.
Oblivion drops you the same from a simler height but into an underground tunnel and the pause at the top is random it could be 2 seconds but then again it could be 15 just a shame that the ride is so short but if your in England go try it you will see what i am talking about
I used to work at BG Williamsburg (back in the early 90’s). It was a great place to work. I have since moved to NC but we get season passes every year. From the first time I saw Griffon dangling its riders 200 feet up, I was in love! I’ve ridden it dozens of times in just about every seat. I prefer the fromt row, but in all honesty, IMHO, it varies very little where you ride on this coaster. I prefer the front simply because I like dangling at the very top with NOTHING in front of or below you….its 5 seconds that NEVER gets old. And this coaster just FEELS impetuous….like its harnessing some invisible herculean power that comes after that first 90 degree drop. Yet for all this power, it is SUPER smooth…one of the smoothest coasters I’ve ever been on. Having said all that, I would absolutely give this ride a perfect “10”.
Are you saying that the stop is a NEGATIVE factor on Griffon? That 5 seconds DEFINES Griffon…but to be honest I know nothing about Sheikra except that it is also a dive coaster. Does it stop and leave you dangling before you dive? If not, then Griffon is BY FAR the better ride.