AquaLoop

An AquaLoop is a type of body water slide where single riders are dropped down a near vertical slide and into an inclined loop. They are usually located in water parks.

AquaLoop
AquaLoop at Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast
General statistics
TypeWater slide
DesignerWhiteWater West, AQUARENA
Height17 m (56 ft)
Drop16 m (52 ft)
Length88.4 m (290 ft)
Speed60 km/h (37 mph)
Duration7 seconds
G-force2.5
Installations20+
RestrictionsRiders must be at least 120 cm (3 ft 11 in) in height and weigh between 45 kg (99 lb) and 130 kg (290 lb) to ride.[1]

History

Austrian manufacturer Aquarena developed the world's first mass-produced fully inverted looping water slide, known as the AquaLoop.[2] The slide is currently licensed and distributed by Canadian water slide manufacturer WhiteWater West.[3] There are nearly 20 AquaLoop installations around the world.[4] The first installation was at Terme 3000 water park, Slovenia in 2008.[5] Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast was the first to install more than one AquaLoop at a single location.[6][7][8] The AquaLoop uses a trap-door to release riders down a 17-metre (56 ft) near-vertical descent at a speed of up to 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph). Riders experience 2.5 Gs in less than 2 seconds.[9] The whole ride is over within 7 seconds.[10]

Ride

An AquaLoop is launched from a 17-metre (56 ft) platform. A single rider is loaded into a launch chamber where they stand with their hands across their chest. After a countdown, a trapdoor opens and the rider immediately drops 16 metres (52 ft) inside a near vertical slide. The rider accelerates to 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph) in just 2 seconds before entering the loop element. This element is a variation of the traditional vertical loop because it lies on an angle of approximately 45°. This variation of a loop is called an inclined loop. The 165-metre (541 ft) slide is over within 7 seconds.[10][11]

Installations
This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
2 AquaLoop slides aboard Norwegian Breakaway.
NameWater parkLocationNumber of slidesOpened
360RushWet'n'Wild Sydney Prospect, Australia4 slides12 December 2013[12]
ClimaxWaterbom Park Bali, Indonesia1 slide2010
AquaLoopParadise Island Water Park Chengdu, China1 slide28 June 2013
Loopy whoopyAqua magica Mumbai, Maharashtra, India1 slide
AquaLoopBeijing Watercube Water Park Beijing, China1 slide8 August 2010[13][14]
MamboBlue Bayou and Dixie Landin' Baton Rouge, United States4 slides2012[15]
AqualoopCalypso Park Ottawa, Canada2 slides24 June 2011[16]
AquaLoopCaribbean Bay Yongin, South Korea4 slides17 June 2011[17]
AquaLoopEl Rollo Tlaquiltenango, Mexico1 slide2014[18]
El abismoParque Acuático Ixtapan Ixtapan de la Sal, Mexico1 slide2010[19]
La ChuteJay Peak Resort Jay, United States1 slide25 November 2011[4]
AqualoopJolly Roger Amusement Park Ocean City, United States1 slide2012[20]
AqualoopTerme 3000 Moravske Toplice, Slovenia1 slideMay 2008[21]
AquaLoopWet'n'Wild Gold Coast Gold Coast, Australia4 slides18 September 2010[22]
AquaLoopCamping Le Pommier Villeneuve-de-Berg, France1 slideJune 2013[23]
AquaLoopingAqua Magis Plettenberg, Germany1 slide19 September 2008[24]
ClimaxWaterbom Park Kuta, Bali, Indonesia1 slide2011
CycloneWorld Waterpark Edmonton, Canada1 slide12 August 2011
Goop LoopCartoon Network Amazone Waterpark Pattaya, Thailand1 slide3 October 2014[25]
L2Wave Wörgl, Austria1 slide with double loopMarch 2010[26][27]
Liwa LoopYas Waterworld Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates1 slide2014
Looping-RutscheAqualand Köln, Germany1 slide11 April 2009[28]
Lunar LoopWilderness Territory Wisconsin Dells, United States1 slideJune 2012
Scorpion's TailNoah's Ark Water Park Wisconsin Dells, United States1 slide29 May 2010[4]
Booster LoopAquaparc Le Bouveret, Switzerland1 slide8 May 2010[29]
UnknownTherme Amadé Altenmarkt, Austria1 slideAugust 2011[30]
Pegasus IIKristall Palm Beach Stein, Germany1 slide with double loop12 December 2012[31]
Hurricane LoopMiramar Weinheim, Germany1 slide with double loopJuly 2012[32]
Skyron RocketOdissea 2000 Corigliano-Rossano, Italy1 slideJune 2014[33]
AquaLoopRamaYana Water Park Pattaya, Thailand1 slide May 2016[34]
AquaLoopWild River Country Little Rock, United States1 slide May 2015[35]
The BullchuteTyphoon Texas Katy, United States1 slide May 2016[36]
Lassoloop Epic Waters Grand Prairie, United States 1 slide January 2018
AquaLoop Water Park Tychy Tychy, Poland 1 slide 30 April 2018
Posseidons Revenge Atlantis Aquaventure Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2 slides May 2013
Free Fall Norwegian Breakaway (Cruise Ship) Nassau, Bahamas 2 slides 30 April 2013 [37]
Free Fall Norwegian Getaway (Cruise Ship) Nassau, Bahamas 2 slides 2 November 2013 [38]
Free Fall Norwegian Escape (Cruise Ship) Nassau, Bahamas 2 slides 15 August 2015 [39]
Ocean Loops Norwegian Bliss (Cruise Ship) Nassau, Bahamas 1 slide with double loop 15 March 2018 [40]
Ocean Loops Norwegian Joy (Cruise Ship) Nassau, Bahamas 1 slide with double loop 4 March 2017 [41]
Ocean Loops Norwegian Encore (Cruise Ship) Nassau, Bahamas 1 slide with double loop 30 October 2019 [42]

Similar water slides

The first known existence of a looping water slide was at Action Park in Vernon, USA, in the mid-1980s. Their water slide featured a vertical loop but was repeatedly closed due to safety concerns.[43][44][45]

More recently, ProSlide developed the SuperLOOP which features a fast, downward spiralling helix after a trapdoor release.[46] The first installation was The Wedgie at nearby WhiteWater World.[47] It was marketed as a looping water slide despite riders never actually experiencing an inversion.[48]

References
  1. "AquaLoop – Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast". MyFun. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  2. "AquaLOOP". Aquarena. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  3. "AquaLoop". WhiteWater West. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  4. MacDonald, Brady (22 November 2009). "Water parks vie to open first U.S. looping water slide". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  5. "Aqualoop". Aquarena. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  6. "WhiteWater launches Dueling AquaLoops". WhiteWater West. 29 June 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  7. "Fun the theme for school holidays". Gold Coast Bulletin. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  8. Ardern, Lucy; Westthorp, Tanya (30 December 2009). "Gold Coast theme parks in ride war". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  9. "New attractions for Coast theme parks". Gold Coast Bulletin. 14 July 2010. Archived from the original on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  10. Stojceska, Milena (17 September 2010). "Wet'n'Wild's new AquaLoop set to thrill". Gold Coast Bulletin. Archived from the original on 19 September 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
  11. WhiteWater West (12 January 2010). "AquaLoop". Retrieved 29 January 2011 – via YouTube.
  12. "360Rush (Wet'n'Wild Sydney)". Parkz. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  13. Farrar, Lara. "Beijing's Water Cube now has slides, rides, a wave pool and spa". CNNGO. Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  14. "Attractions – AquaLoop". Beijing Watercube Waterpark. Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  15. "Weltweit erste Aqualoop Loopingrutsche". Archived from the original on 9 February 2012.
  16. Levine, Arthur. "Calypso Waterpark". About.com. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  17. "아쿠아 루프 오픈기념 1,000명에게 쏜다!". Samsung Everland. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  18. "El Rollo Aqualoop". Archived from the original on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  19. "El abismo". Archived from the original on 3 August 2014.
  20. "Aqualoop | Water Park Ocean City MD". Jolly Roger Splash Mountain Water Park Ocean City MD. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  21. "Weltweit erste Aqualoop Loopingrutsche" (PDF). Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  22. "AquaLoop (Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast)". Parkz. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  23. "Aqua Park – Aqua Breeze". Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  24. "AquaMagis Plettenberg – Rutschen & Action – AquaLooping". AquaMagis. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  25. "Goop In This Gravity-defying Water Rollercoaster Thailand". Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  26. "L2 – die Doppel-Looping Rutsche". Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  27. ""L2" – The World's First Double-Loop Water Slide" (PDF). Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  28. "Aqualand in Köln mit Loopingrutsche". Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  29. "L'Aquaparc du Bouveret inaugure le Booster Loop le 8 mai 2010". Archived from the original on 15 May 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  30. "THERME AMADÉ – Water Slides". Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  31. "Kristall Palm Beach in Stein – Doppel-Looping Rutsche". Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  32. "Rutschvergnügen – Miramar".
  33. "Acqua Park Odissea 2000 – Skyron Rocket". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  34. "RamaYana Water Park – Rides".
  35. "Wild River Country – Attractions".
  36. "Typhoon Texas Waterpark Houston – Rides and Attractions".
  37. TODAY, Gene Sloan, USA. "5 things you'll love about the new Norwegian Breakaway". USA Today. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  38. "11 Things to Know About the Norwegian Getaway Cruise Ship". Cruise Hive. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  39. "Cruise ship tours: Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Escape". USA Today. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  40. Meltzer, Matt. "The World's Newest Cruise Ship Also Has the Sickest Rides Onboard". Thrillist. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  41. "The Most Exciting Things to Try on Norwegian Joy |". Cruise Addicts. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  42. "Look inside Norwegian Encore, cruising to New England in 2020 | Boston.com". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  43. Austin, op. cit., 21.
  44. Fergus, Tom; May 2006; "Another Action Park Employee Spills His Guts", in "The Reaction to Traction at Action Park"; Weird NJ, 29.
  45. Braybrook, Steve; May 2006; "A Survivor from Action Park Writes In", in "The Reaction to Traction at Action Park"; Weird NJ, 29.
  46. "SuperLOOP". ProSlide. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  47. "SuperLOOP – Installations". ProSlide. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  48. WhiteWater World (7 April 2010). "THE WEDGIE WATER SLIDE". Commercial. Retrieved 30 December 2010 – via YouTube.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.