Wahoo Racer and Dive Bomber
Six Flags White Water, Marietta, Georgia
When Wahoo Racer debuts at Six Flags White Water in 2016, it will be the tallest racing slide of its kind in the world. Six racers on toboggans will fly headfirst down six separate enclosed flumes.
After pushing off from 60 feet in the air, riders won’t be able to see each other as they maneuver big curves and bumpy hills until the flumes open into track-style racing lanes toward the bottom. The toboggans reach speeds of 40 feet per second.
“The tubes are colored on top and translucent on the bottom,” said White Water spokesman Gene Petriello. “So racers won’t know what’s happening, but spectators from the bottom will know who’s winning. You won’t realize you’re in last place until it’s too late.”
Equally impressive to Wahoo Racer is White Water’s 100-foot extreme plunge slide. Dive Bomber, which opened in 2015, features a trap-door capsule that drops riders 10 stories at speeds of more than 40 miles per hour. The plummet is at a nearly 90-degree angle.
Dive Bomber’s zero-gravity experience has become the new standard for body slides. Riders want to free-fall rather than push off from a sitting position.
“It’s an exhilarating ride for the person who is brave enough to stand and drop 10 stories, but it’s also exhilarating for the families that want to watch,” Petriello said. “Whenever I go, people are always watching from the bottom, seeing how far people fly and seeing who makes the biggest splash.”
Carolina Harbor Waterpark
Carowinds, Charlotte, North Carolina
The expansion of the water park at Carowinds in Charlotte is so large that the park has earned a new name. The former Boomerang Bay will reopen in 2016 as Carolina Harbor, with twice the number of slides, multiple children’s spray grounds and a second wave pool that mimics the high surf of the Atlantic Ocean.
In anticipation of the 2016 expansion, Carowinds added two new slides in 2014. Surfer’s Swell sends riders into an angled wall that mimics the sensation of catching an ocean wave. Dorsal Fin Drop is a 351-foot-long slide that speeds riders through a curved tunnel, then into a bowl where they spin and swirl before exiting through a funnel. Riders often compare the popular bowl rides to being flushed down a toilet, a term the water park industry isn’t crazy about.
In addition to revamping popular attractions, Carolina Harbor is introducing several new attractions.
“The one that everyone seems to be talking about is Black Beard’s Revenge,” said Carowinds spokeswoman Laresa Thompson. “That’s the one with the big thrill factor.”
Black Beard’s Revenge is a six-story complex with three separate attractions and a total of six slides. Pirate’s Plank features the drop-capsule free-fall; Cannonball Drop is an enclosed chute with four intense 360-degree turns; and Captain’s Curse includes a combination of drops and turns.
www.carolinaharbor.carowinds.com
Roa’s Aviary
Seaworld Aquatica , San Antonio, Texas
Amidst the proliferation of higher, faster attractions, nothing compares to Roa’s Aviary, which puts guests face-to-face with the most spectacular birds from around the world. The aviary, which opened at San Antonio’s Aquatica water park in 2014, is home to more than 200 exotic birds and encloses a lazy river, waterfalls, footpaths and a wave pool.
It’s not unusual for the brightly colored birds, some of which are endangered species, to land on guests’ heads or shoulders. Guests can participate in feeding the birds if they want to be sure of one-on-one interactions.
“We have a lot of favorites,” said Aquatica aviculturist Jason Medina. “I personally really enjoy the turacos. It’s a very colorful bird, exotic, very interactive and very vocal.”
Another crowd favorite is the Guira cuckoo. The South American bird is known for its unmistakable call, which sounds something like a long whistle. Medina said it’s common for the Guira cuckoo to land on guests’ shoulders and give them an earful.
After two seasons, the apiary flock has more than doubled, and at least two aviculturists are on hand at all times to introduce visitors to the growing flock.
“I always tell guests that patience is rewarding in the aviary,” Medina said. “If you’re patient, the birds will come to you.”
www.aquaticabyseaworld.com/en/sanantonio
