justint87 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 (edited) According to SeaWorld Aquatica's website, Whanau Way is closed due to possible construction for an expansion project opening in spring of 2010. Does not mention what would be constructed. Whanau Way This quadruple slide tower offers riders four different high-speed experiences. Due to construction to make way for an exciting new expansion project scheduled to open in Spring 2010, this ride will be closed until October 30. Was posted in the "Rides" section of the website. www.aquaticabyseaworld.com/Site/RideList.aspx Edited April 15, 2010 by jedimaster1227 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imhotep Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 That's awesome. I remember we heard this news from a tram operator several months ago, probably back in June sometime, but I paid him no mind considering I hadn't heard the news elsewhere. I remember he mentioned somethings that were going to be included in the expansion, but it just went in one ear and out the other considering I really didn't believe it was happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeboy23 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 That is great. I really enjoyed my visit there this year, can't wait to hear more about the expansion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximo37 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I'm really curious (and surprised to be honest) to see just what they are planning to expand off from this particular tower. There doesn't seem to be all too much room to any side of this attraction to fit another one... unless they expand into the "backstage" area off to the backside of the tower... Any expansion to the park is welcome and I'm excited to see what will come of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justint87 Posted October 26, 2009 Author Share Posted October 26, 2009 Just a little update. According to source from Screamscape, after October 30, Whanau Way would only be open Fridays through Sundays and closed the other days due to construction. They also mention that it may be some type of new slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekRx Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Great to see them expanding already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRapidsNerd Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 They have bowl slides, so I wonder if it'll be a Tornado, half pipe, or some hybrid like Upsurge at Alabama Adventure? Time will tell, but glad to see them adding on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piers Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 This park defiantely needs something, I was very dissapointed after I went last year. Oh, also the water gave me a rash (I had been in Orlando for a week with TPR friends though so that could be from somewhere else...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nay Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Yay! I haven't been to Aquatica since a few months after it opened, and thought that it was nice but needed something more. Glad to see that they're expanding it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenaapple1974 Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 I agree. This park, while nicely themed, just lacks lots of fun. The best part for me (and my son) was the rapids... lazy river, whatever it is called. We wore vests, and the current just dragged us around... loads of fun! I left very disappointed, but we would go back just for the rapids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwcoasterboy Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 When you're walking up the stairs to the top level where the four tube slides are currently, you pass by a completed level underneath. It has a poured cement floor and everything. When looking down towards the park from that floor, there is a clearing to the left of the current splash pool for the tube slides. Could be a splash down for new slides. When we were there a couple of weeks ago, we were already speculating. Our discussion was if something else was supposed to have gone there during initial construction and it was cancelled, or if it was built in to allow for a future addition. I think it's a great park, but it could use a few more attractions to help spread out the crowds. Dolphin Plunge slide did not open during our visit due to "mechanical reasons"... strange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justint87 Posted November 23, 2009 Author Share Posted November 23, 2009 It has been a while since we had an update of what we might expect in 2010. However Screamscape posted an update with information from an LA Times post. SeaWorld Aquatica’s 2010 expansion to include 4 new water slides The recently opened SeaWorld Aquatica water park in Orlando, Fla. will add four first-of-a-kind water slides in 2010, including a pair of inner-tube rides that go uphill with the help of a hydro-magnetic launch. The twin Tornado Walls are V-shaped slides that start with a magnetic launch that shoots a six-person inflatable raft up the face of a vertical wall. One of the two launch sequences travels through a tunnel. After reaching the top of the water wall, the rafts race down the incline and along an uphill outrun with a small whoop-de-do hill. Also on tap for Aquatica in 2010: A 40-foot-tall Topsy-Turvy pipeline complex that features a pair of traditional looping water slides combined with a series of funnel-like attractions where riders swirl and spin before continuing on with their journey. Riders on the two-person inner tubes can choose between two Topsy-Turvy tracks — a 285-foot-long run with two funnels or a longer 460-foot-long route with four funnels. The four new water slides were on display this week at the ProSlide exhibit during the International Assn. of Amusement Parks and Attraction (IAAPA) convention in Las Vegas. travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/seaworld-aquatica-20-5871/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1pizza14 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Wow this is cool, I really enjoyed my last visit there and my next one will be Evan better with this expansion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwcoasterboy Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 The Topsy-Turvy slides are clearly Proslide Tantrums, but I don't know anything about the launched tornado walls. Sounds very cool. Would love to see some pics of that. For a park that was entirely supplied by White Water West, it's interesting to see ProSlide doing the expansion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 The name of new expansion has been officially confirmed in the latest Seaworld press release found here: http://www.seaworld.com/sitepage.aspx?PageID=785. And this spring, the all-new Omaka Rocka thrills with high-speed tubes and massive half-pipe funnels that will have you sliding frontward and backward and climbing the walls. It’s all new and only at Aquatica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2009/12/aquatica-new-omaka-rocka-ride-set-to-debut-by-march.html Aquatica will be home to a new ride by March 2010, SeaWorld officials confirmed today. Omaka Rocka, which will feature half-pipe maneuvers through three funnels (think extreme sports/skateboarding), will be the water park’s first expansion since it opened in early 2008. Here are some details about Omaka Rocka: + It will share a platform with Whanau Way, on the wave-pool side of the park. + There will be two slides with three funnels each. + The name comes from South Seas and means “rocking river.” + The half-pipe element will provide “near weightlessness,” says Aquatica general manager Rick Beddow. + Guests will ride in two-seater floats like those currently found in the park. + There will be no height restriction, although you must be able to hold onto the grips and maintain the riding position throughout. + Although portions of the Omaka Rocka will be enclosed, the tubing will be “semi-transparent,” allowing more light in — and allowing landlubbers to see folks sliding through, says Brian Morrow, director of design and engineering. (As opposed to some of the very dark entrances of other Aquatica attractions.) + Morrow says SeaWorld has always had an expansion master plan — the Whanau Way tower was built with another ride in mind for the future. But Omaka Rocka is not the ride that was originally planned for that spot. + Construction is under way, and passersby should be able to see the tubing go up during the first half of January, Morrow says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBru Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 How do they know when to dispatch the next tube? Surely they don't wait until the one before it exits the slide, do they? (But, if not, doesn't this increase the risk of an accident occurring?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Holy Crap! Is that a Proslide Tantrum? Is that the first one to be built in the US? Looks amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotdane Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 ^It looks like the 3rd or 4th, I think. It looks like 2 were built last year, one in NY and another in NC. And isn't the slide Raging Waters is getting a Tantrum, too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Cow Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 It finally looks like Aquatica is doing something big! It was a bit of a letdown when it opened, but this looks to be a legitimately awesome ride! Does anyone know what the half-pipe maneuver is? I seen a few different slides with them, but never a tantrum with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 ^I'm pretty sure the tornado bowl of the Tantrum is the "half pipe" element in question. I've not been able to ride a tornado (or anything like it) since our nearest one was closed during my visit to Wet n' Wild, but I've been told that you get some airtime coming back down off of the highest point of the bowl when you first slide up and down the sides. Aquatica has sent us its official press release for Omaka Rocka which gives a little more information to go with what was listed above. Omaka Rocka Rocks Aquatica in 2010 All-new waterslide thrill ride unlike anything in Orlando, opens this spring Orlando, FL (December 17, 2009) – An all-new family waterslide rocks into Aquatica in Orlando with unique thrills including high-speed tubes and half-pipe funnels that’ll have riders splashing and sliding frontward and backward and climbing the walls. The first waterslide of its kind in the world, Omaka Rocka opens this spring. What makes Omaka Rocka next year’s can’t-miss waterpark ride in Orlando? Riders speed down flumes into massive funnels, sliding high up one side and then the other, rocking back and forth, feeling a sensation of near weightlessness. Coming out of the funnel, they’ll skim into a drenching splashdown and then find themselves wanting to do it all over again. Omaka Rocka is a waterslide taste of half-pipe, near-vertical thrills previously experienced only by daring skateboarders and snowboarders. Aquatica is a one-of-a-kind waterpark that could only come from SeaWorld. Inspired by a whimsical take on the South Seas, Aquatica immerses guests in the playfulness of the sea, taking them in, over and under the water with the world’s most unique water rides and animal encounters. Aquatica mixes animal experiences, waters from serene to extreme, high speed waterslide thrills and wide, sandy beaches to create a day of non-stop fun. To discover more about Aquatica, go to AquaticaBySeaWorld.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKI Jizzman Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 This is too cool. Ever since I saw the ProSlide 'prototype' video on the website, I couldn't wait for these to be installed. Good for Aquatica, this will be a big success I'm sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pianojohn Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 How do they know when to dispatch the next tube? Surely they don't wait until the one before it exits the slide, do they? (But, if not, doesn't this increase the risk of an accident occurring?) Like most if not all of the slides at Aquatica, they have sensors that let the ride op now when the tubes have passed a safe point. I'm pretty sure they'll use the same technology on this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features_orlando/2010/01/aquatica-pictures-of-new-omaka-rocka-water-slide-under-construction.html Here are fresh photos from Aquatica of the under-construction Omaka Rocka, which will be the first addition to the water park since it opened two years ago. It is expected to open in March. SeaWorld Marketing describes it two different ways: “Riders will speed down flumes into massive tunnels, sliding high up one side then the other, rocking back and forth, feeling a sensation of near weightlessness.” And “Omaka Rocka is a waterslide taste of half-pipe, near-vertical thrills previously experienced only by daring skateboarders and snowboarders. Coming out of the funnel, riders will skim into a drenching splashdown…” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitrofan Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Wow, this slide is looking great! I'm looking forward to riding a Tantrum Model myself. It appears that they are beginning to really take off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now