Aquatica - Random Shots

Continuing the "start of summer" and "welcome back" vibe, here are random shots of Aquatica. I promise to offer more narratives (or at least more FOCUS) in posts after this week. It's spring cleaning, and I have to get rid of shots that don't belong.

In the meantime, enjoy!

Aquatica Under Construction

From March, 2007, we have these photos of the park as seen from the street.

Water Playground at Aquatica

The riot of colors at Aquatica's water playground Walkabout Waters doesn't let up even when you're standing in the midst of the structure (no doubt being drenched by the buckets above, some of which controlled by fellow visitors). It's all in good fun. Kids could easily kill an hour here, and parents may enjoy the ensuing respite. The big buckets up top take turns dumping on the crowds below every few minutes.

 

The Taumata Timer

When Aquatica first opened, the colorful racer slides had no particular technology installed on them. Riders just (hopefully) waited until the attendant said "go" and then jumped in their tubes. The absence if a clock meant winners were mire likely decided by who traveled the farthest in the straight "slow down" section at the bottom.

At sone point before its first anniversary, however, a digital clock was added to the bottom. (meaning there must be sensors at the top, too, unless everyone just gets the same start time?) With the clock, now the competition is the race to the bottom, not the distance traveled. It's more exciting this way, though also a touch more stressful.




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Aquatica under construction

You couldn't see much when driving by - just skeletons of the staircase towers for what would turn out to be the racers and the family slides - but it was nonetheless interesting to drive alongside the Aquatica site. Even in Orlando, theme parks don't open every day!

Whanau Way, the old view

Here's something you can't see anymore. This view of Whanau Way from its tower is now blocked by Omaka Rocka, which was built atop these slides (and uses the same stairs/tower). Kudos to Aquatica for adding to its park so quickly!




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Aquatica's color scheme

Let's be honest: Aquatica lacks the lush landscaping that the Disney water parks have (and while we are telling truths, we'd have to admit that Wet & Wild lacks such rich vegetation too, and it's much older, so this is not about allowing time for things to grow in).

But Wet & Wild feels just like a water park, with no particular theme or indeed even color scheme. Aquatica, by contrast, does have a color scheme, and thus an identity of sorts. It's all bright orange, yellow, and purple for Aquatica. That doesn't particularly scream "New Zealand" to me (more on that in a future update), but at least the patterns are consistent in the park, giving the place a look/feel of its own.




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Vests of many colors

At the Disney water parks, vests are available for free but you have to ask for them. At Aquatica, they are just out and about, and in fact you'll find more than one location for them. Two of the more visible locations are next to the entrances for Roa's Rapids, since this experience is more enjoyable and relaxing if you're wearing a vest.

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Roa's Rapids

We call it the Crazy River because it's like a lazy river, but with actual rapids. Normally that would be a nonissue, but in this case it matters because you aren't in a raft. You're just floating along!

You could elect to rely on your swimming skills alone, but most visitors will grab one of the free floatation vests nearby.

With a vest, you get the odd sensation of both action (the rapids) and relaxation (since you don't have to work to stay afloat).

This is a point of view (POV) shot of one of the rapids sections.

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No drinking!

This sign at Aquatica, repeated in a few places, points out that sprinklers are using water you shouldn't try to drink.

Even though I've seen this sign plenty of times, I always misread the Spanish translation below as saying "no beer"!





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Aquatica's lazy river aquarium

Aquatica has a fast-moving lazy river (we call it the Crazy River), and then a more traditional sedate one called Loggerhead Lane.

The sedate one is small, mostly just circling the toilet bowl slide. But it has a picture window to the Comerson's dolphins ... Or you could take the branching path instead to this aquarium filled with colorful African cichlids. Not much moves here, but it's colorful at least.




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They are not baby killer whales!

Often you'll hear guests (and not only the children) ooh and ahh over the "baby killer whales" in this tank at Aquatica. But they aren't orcas. They are actually Commerson's dolphins, and the only places to see them in captivity in the USA are here and SeaWorld San Diego.

And your eyes are not deceiving you - that's  clear acrylic tube in the background for the body slide "Dolphin Plunge." In theory, you can see dolphins as you zoom by! In practice, I've had about ten rides on it with never yet a dolphin sighting. It's too quick (even if you sit up against the rules), the light/dark change is too disorienting, and my timing just sucks. I like the idea, though.

Omaka Rocka at Aquatica

Say that five times fast: Omaka Rocka at Aquatica! Opened in 2010, this unassuming slide might appear at first to be a bit of a leech. After all, it uses the same tower and stairs as the four older slides here (Whanau Way), which are fun in their own right.

But Omaka Rocka has new twists. There are bumps in the bottom of the flume, giving you both rapids (visual fun) and minor airtime (physical fun). Those funnels you see are moments when your one-person raft rides up the side, skateboard style. In that same area are weird devices in the floor that usually (but not always) flip around your raft's direction, so your next segment of the ride will be backward. At the next funnel, you'll be flipped around again (or not, depending on chance). Sometimes you race out the bottom to the dedicated splash pool going quite fast... backward.