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Bubba Tub
This is a deceptively simple ride that packs a wallop. Five-person circular rafts zip down a broad, straight slide that features three sharp drops on the speedy trip to the bottom. The ever-helpful attendant gives the raft a spin at takeoff so it’s hard to predict whether you’ll go down backwards or not. It’s a short ride, almost guaranteed to raise a scream or two, and a lot of fun.
Lazy River
Circling Bubble Up and the Bubba Tub is a swift-moving stream, about 10 feet wide and three feet deep, cleverly themed to evoke old Florida, complete with boat docks and rustic billboards. There are a number of entrances and you can enter or exit at any of them. Grab one of the floating tubes or, to assure you’ll have one, bring your rented tube and float along with the current; it takes about five minutes to make one complete circuit. It is also possible to swim or float down Lazy River unaided, and many people choose this option.
The Storm
Riders of The Storm zip down a towering chute into an open air bowl, where they spin wildly around at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour as spectators cheer them on. Then they drop through a hole in the middle of the bowl into a waiting splash pool.
Der Stuka
Behind the Bubba Tub, you will find a high tower housing three speed slides — Der Stuka, Bomb Bay, and Blue Niagara — billed as the tallest and fastest in the world. Like all speed slides, Der Stuka is simplicity itself. You lie down on your back, cross your ankles, fold your arms over your chest, and an attendant nudges you over the edge of a precipitously angled free fall. You’ll reach speeds approaching 50 mph before a long trough of shallow water brings you to a halt.
Bomb Bay
Bomb Bay is right next to Der Stuka. Its slide is precisely the same height, length, and angle of its neighbor. So what’s the difference? Here you step into a bomb-shaped capsule that is then precisely positioned over the slide. The floor drops away and you are off to a literally flying start down the slide. Thanks to the gravity assisted head start, this slide is even faster than Der Stuka, or at least it seems that way.
Blue Niagara
After Der Stuka and Bomb Bay, Blue Niagara, which shares the same tower with the two speed slides, seems tame by comparison. But looks are deceiving. Blue Niagara, which takes off from a point slightly below the top of the tower, consists of a pair of blue-green translucent tubes that corkscrew around each other at a seemingly modest angle.
You enter feet first, riding on your back. If you’re wearing a t-shirt, you’ll be asked to remove it. The reason quickly becomes clear. The speed you pick up as you hurtle down the ride could wrap a t-shirt around your face very quickly. As it is, you may get a nose-full of water as you splash down at the end of this exhilarating twist-a-rama.
Hydra Fighter
This clever little bit of fun is billed as the “first interactive water ride.” Essentially, it is a series of tandem swings in which the riders sit back to back with a high power water cannon between their legs. With a bit of teamwork, riders can use their water cannons to swing themselves higher and higher. Or they can just squirt anyone in range while they bounce around aimlessly. Before hopping on yourself, take some time to observe the proper technique.
There are two towers with three arms, at the end of which dangle the two-seat gondolas; so the three-minute ride can accommodate 12 people at a time.
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