Tag: Big Surf Shores

Slidin’ with Skyline

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Aquatica Orlando

Reef Plunge

Right at the entrance to the water park is the entrance to the first highlight: Reef Plunge. This classic bodyslide offers a fairly long slide over numerous bends and several smaller jumps and towards the end offers a ride through a larger water basin in a transparent tube. Here you have a few seconds to watch the Commerson’s dolphins, leopard sharks, sardines and other cold-water fish above and beside you before you reach the exit of the slide. Thanks to this feature, Reef Plunge is a unique experience and should definitely be tried once, provided the slide is open.

Loggerhead Lane and Tassie’s Twister

The Lazy River Loggerhead Lane serves as a cozy entry point for the double funnel slide Tassie’s Twister. After drifting for a few minutes, you can make your way up to the entrance. After a quick start, you then do a few laps in the funnel before leaving it comfortably through the outlet and being led back into the lazy river.

Riptide Race

Riptide Race was still the newest water slide in the park when I visited. The double racing slide offers several sections along its course where you can meet your competitors in the other lane. Despite its numerous jumps, the slide is a little too gentle, at least for a single person.

Walhalla Wave and Ray Rush

At the time of my visit, the Ray Rush slide was under construction. I would have loved to go for a ride on the Family Blaster ride built by Whitewater with the large Manta element, but I would have just as loved to go down the Valhalla Wave slide. Both slides promise to be a lot of fun, which is why I would love to return at some point.

Walkabout Waters and Taumata Racer

After this small disappointment, we now make our way through the Walkabout Waters play structure, where we refresh ourselves a little with the water from the huge overturning bucket, towards the Taumata Racer mat slide. This eight-lane slide not only has an incredibly high capacity, but also encourages you to race against your family or friends. The Taumata Racer is by no means a classic mat slide, because before it goes into the big shoot ride, you first pick up a lot of speed in a high-pressure helix. Wonderful!

Roa’s Rapids, Big Surf Shores and Cutback Cove

Aquatica Orlando is home to the pretty fast and really exciting Lazy River Roa’s Rapids. For a large part of the course, you can simply let yourself be carried along by the current without paying too much attention, and in between there are the absolutely brilliant rapid sections. It’s great fun. The nearby wave pools Big Surf Shores and Cutback Cove are perfect for letting yourself drift a little on the waves after a round or two in Roa’s Rapids.

Ihu’s Breakaway Falls

The four turbo slides of the Ihu’s Breakaway Falls tower are located directly next to the two wave pools Big Surf Shores and Cutback Cove. While the blue, green and orange tubes have a trapdoor start, the purple tube offers a classic entry followed by a very steep gradient before it turns into a curve-dominated slide, just like the other tubes. As always with very high waterslides, the tension increases with every meter of height. Here at Aquatica Orlando, it is even forbidden to wear swimming trunks that are too tight, as you would probably be going too fast. At some point, you reach the top and are spoiled for choice between the four lanes.

While the two of the three trapdoor start lanes immediately turn left and, after a short bend to the right, offer a longer straight section with the third in the group following the same course in the other direction, the purple slide gets off to an incredibly fast start with a fairly high drop. This is followed by a powerful downward helix, which leads into another high drop for the finale. Meanwhile, the three other lanes also set off on their final spurt and elegantly lead you into the exit after another high-pressure left or right turn.

All four lanes of Ihu’s Breakaway Falls are really good slides, with the purple lane definitely being the wildest of the four. Those who like turbo slides will get their money’s worth here, because Orlando’s highest water slide is really not for hot showers and/or water park newbies and is therefore a real test of courage!

Kare Kare Curl

Let’s now move on to the last huge standalone slide in the park and my personal highlight: Kare Kare Curl. As I was traveling alone and a group of three happened to need another person to slide with them, I was able to take a seat in one of the four-person boats in no time at all. After a short slide at a lofty height, there is a tight helix before the big drop into the Tornado Wave begins. In this wave, you speed up rapidly before drifting sideways and hurtling downwards. After two quick swings along the slide wall, you are slowly slowed down before plunging into a tunnel and being guided leisurely to the end of the slide.

Kare Kare Curl is an absolutely magnificent slide, which for me also serves as a symbol for Aquatica Orlando.

Whanau Way und Omaka Rocka

Nearby is the ascent to the fast tube slides Whanau Way and Omaka Rocka. While the former scores points with its rapid double drop finale after a winding start, Omaka Rocka impresses with its wild pendulum passages in the small funnels on the way down.

Pictures Aquatica Orlando

Conclusion Aquatica Orlando

Just like back then in San Antonio, I was once again quite happy to have bought the ticket for the water park. The visit to Aquatica Orlando was my highlight of the day and one of the best water parks I’ve visited so far. Despite the many closed slides, I liked the park even better than its sister park in San Antonio. There are a lot of really good water slides here and the design of the park is also extremely sublime, which is why I can highly recommend a visit. With a visit to the main park next door, you really have a lot to experience here.

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Aquatica Orlando

Ihu’s Breakaway Adventure

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Aquatica San Antonio

Since I was relatively quickly done with the main park SeaWorld San Antonio, I went to the neighboring water park Aquatica San Antonio in the afternoon to bridge the time until the One Ocean show. Luckily, the combined entrance ticket was a bit cheaper than the regular entrance ticket for SeaWorld alone and the park was one of the few water parks in Texas that was actually open at Easter.

As early as in the entrance area of the park, opened in 2012, one notices that the atmosphere here is completely different from that of the park next door. Everything is colourful, beautifully designed and much more immersive. Right in front of one, the whole skyline spreads out and one straight gets the desire to climb one or the other slide tower and slide down one of the numerous slides.

Stingray Falls

Passing a big pool where numerous stingrays swim around, we immediately get to the first highlight of the park: Stingray Falls. The family raft slide offers a rather long slide over numerous curves and several smaller jumps, but is otherwise quite mild. After the obligatory passage through a flush of water and a water curtain, one then finds oneself in a small cave that is partly covered with acrylic glass. Here you have about 30s time to watch the rays above you before you reach the end of the slide. Thanks to this feature, Stingray Falls is a unique attraction and therefore you should definitely slide it once, although in my opinion the tunnel should be much longer.

Ihu’s Breakaway Falls

Just behind Stingray Falls are the three turbo slides of Ihu’s Breakaway Falls. While the blue and orange tubes have a drop start, the green tube offers a classic entrance followed by a very steep descent before it turns into a curve dominated slide, as with the other tubes. As always with very high water slides, the tension increases with every vertical meter. Here in the Aquatica San Antonio even the use of swimming trunks that are too tight is prohibited, you would probably be too fast. At some point you reach the top and are spoilt for choice between the three lanes.

While both drop start lanes immediately change into a left turn and can show a longer straight after a short right bend, the green slide starts unbelievably fast into the action with a quite high drop. This is followed by a powerful downward helix, which changes into another high drop at the final. Meanwhile, the other two lanes also start their final spurt and after another pressure-packed left turn elegantly leads you into the exit.

The three lanes of Ihu’s Breakaway Falls are all really good slides, with the green lane definitely being the wildest of the three. If you like turbo slides, you’ll get your money’s worth here, because Texas highest water slide is really nothing for wimps and/or water park newbies and therefore a real test of courage!

Loggerhead Lane

After so much adrenaline it is worth taking a look at the Lazy River Loggerhead Lane. On the beautifully arranged Lazy River with its numerous water effects one can drift wonderfully before suddenly finding oneself in an aviary and watching numerous tropical birds. What a wonderful fun!

Kiwi Curl and Woohoo Falls

Close by is the entrance to the Kiwi Curl and Woohoo Falls slides, with the two tire slides of Woohoo Falls being replaced by the blackhole body slides Tonga Twister in 2020. Kiwi Curl are two classic bodyslides with multiple turns and drops, while Woohoo Falls has a very wide open tube slide and a black hole. Both slides are quite easy to ride.

Big Surf Shores, Tassie’s Twisters and Hooroo Run

Past the wave pool Big Surf Shores we go to the double tube slides Tassie’s Twisters and Hooroo Run. While Tassie’s Twisters are two classic bowl slides, at the ends of which you can do a few laps in a funnel before continuing on to the final pool, Hooroo Run is characterized by its descents and dark passages. Here the red track is only serpentine, while the purple track features additional helices.

Walkabout Waters and Taumata Racer

Once across the game structure Walkabout Waters, where we refresh ourselves a little with the water from the huge overturning bucket, we go to the mat slide Taumata Racer. This six-lane slide not only has a huge capacity, but also offers a good opportunity to race against family and friends. The Taumata Racer is by no means a classic mat slide, because before the big shot starts, you first increase your speed in a powerful helix. Splendid!

Walhalla Wave

Now let’s get to the last big slide in the park and my personal highlight: Walhalla Wave. As I was travelling alone and a group of three happened to need another person to slide, I was quickly able to take a seat in one of the boats that hold up to four people.  After a small slide in airy heights, a tight helix is added immediately before the big drop into the Tornado Wave is initiated. In this wave, one rushes rapidly upwards before drifting sideways and racing down. After two fast swings along the walls of the slide, you are slowed down slowly before you dive into a tunnel and are led leisurely to the end of the slide.

The Walhalla Wave is an absolutely magnificent slide, which for me also serves as a symbol for Aquatica San Antonio.

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Conclusion

I was quite happy to have bought the combi-ticket, otherwise I would probably have been rather disappointed when leaving San Antonio. So the water park Aquatica San Antonio was my highlight of the day and one of the best water parks I have visited so far. There are some really good slides available and also the design of the park is very sublime, so I highly recommend a visit. Combining it with the main park right next door is also a good idea, as this way one can experience a lot of things throughout the day.

What is your opinion about the water park Aquatica San Antonio?  Just write it in the comment field below the report or visit our social media channels:

          

Click here for the next report of the Texas Round-Up Tour

Aquatica San Antonio / Texas Round-Up Day 4