Aquatica (water parks) facts for kids
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| Industry | Water parks |
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| Founded | Orlando, Florida (March 1, 2008) |
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Number of locations
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3 |
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Area served
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United States |
| Owner | SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment |
Aquatica is a group of exciting water parks. They are owned and run by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. You can find Aquatica parks in Orlando, Florida, San Antonio, Texas, and Chula Vista, California.
Contents
History of Aquatica Parks
SeaWorld Orlando first shared plans for a new water park on July 15, 2005. They said it would be a "natural" park. They also showed off the cool Dolphin Plunge water slides.
On March 5, 2007, SeaWorld officially announced Aquatica. The park was planned to be 59 acres big. It was expected to cost about US$50 million to build.
Construction kept going through 2007 and into early 2008. Employees and annual pass holders got to see previews in February. The park first opened to guests on March 1, 2008. The official grand opening was on April 4, 2008.
In its first year, about 950,000 people visited the park. This made it the fourth most-visited water park in the United States. It was also the eighth most-visited in the world. The park was a big hit right away!
Aquatica San Antonio Opens
In early 2011, people started talking about Aquatica coming to SeaWorld San Antonio. SeaWorld officially announced plans for this new water park on May 24, 2011. They described it as a fun water park with close-up animal experiences. It would also have thrilling rides and relaxing sandy beaches.
This new Aquatica park took the place of an older water park called Lost Lagoon. Lost Lagoon closed in September 2011. Construction for the new Aquatica San Antonio began in October 2011. New water slides arrived in pieces in November 2011. Aquatica San Antonio officially opened on May 19, 2012.
Aquatica San Diego Opens
On November 20, 2012, another company, Cedar Fair, sold its San Diego Soak City park to SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. This water park first opened on May 31, 1997. It was called White Water Canyon and had 16 water slides and a wave pool.
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment bought the park and changed it into a 32-acre water park. They named it Aquatica San Diego. The updated park opened on June 1, 2013.
Recent Changes
In March 2020, all Aquatica parks had to close for a while. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Aquatica Orlando and San Antonio reopened in June of that year. Aquatica San Diego remained closed for a longer time.
Aquatica Locations
Aquatica has three main locations across the United States. Each park offers unique attractions and animal experiences.
| Park name | Location | Coordinates | Opening date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquatica Orlando | Orlando, Florida | 28°24′56″N 81°27′22″W / 28.4156°N 81.4560°W | March 1, 2008 | |
| Aquatica San Antonio | San Antonio, Texas | 29°27′31″N 98°41′55″W / 29.458742°N 98.698640°W | May 19, 2012 | |
| Aquatica San Diego | Chula Vista, California | 32°35′15″N 117°00′38″W / 32.587583°N 117.010630°W | June 1, 2013 |
Aquatica Orlando: Rides and Animals
Aquatica Orlando is in Orlando, Florida. It is a sister park to SeaWorld Orlando and Discovery Cove. The park has a South Pacific theme. It features mascots from Australia and New Zealand. These include Roa the kiwi, Kata the kookaburra, and Wai the Commerson's dolphin.
The park has many rides for all ages and swimming levels. Some rides even go near or through animal homes! The park also has two wave pools. They share a huge 80,000 square foot white-sand beach. This beach has chairs, sun beds, and umbrellas.
Body and Mat Slides
- Dolphin Plunge – This is the park's most famous ride. Two enclosed slides go through a pool where you can see Commerson's dolphins swimming.
- Ihu's Breakaway Falls – This ride has three drop slides and one speed slide. They are about 80 feet tall. Riders drop at a steep 80-degree angle. These slides opened in 2014.
- Taumata Racer – This is an eight-lane racing slide. Guests slide down on mats through both enclosed and open parts of the slide.
Raft Slides
- Whanau Way – This tower has four slides for one or two riders on rafts.
- Tassie Twisters – These are two funnel-shaped slides. You can ride them in single or double rafts. You can only get to this ride through Loggerhead Lane.
- Omaka Rocka – Single riders go down one of two slides. Parts of the slides look like a tornado funnel lying on its side.
Multi-Person Family Raft Slides
These rides use round rafts for several people.
- Walhalla Wave – This raft slide has dark, enclosed sections. It needs 2 to 4 riders.
- Ray Rush – This colorful raft slide has a special section that makes the raft go up and down. It also has a halfpipe element. This slide replaced the HooRoo Run slide in 2017. It needs 3 to 6 riders.
- KareKare Curl – (New for 2019) This slide pushes riders up a curved wall. It needs 2 riders.
- Riptide Race – (New for 2021) This is a dueling slide where two rafts race each other. It's the first of its kind in Florida.
Lazy Rivers
- Roa's Rapids – This is a faster, more exciting version of a lazy river. It has geysers and speedy parts.
- Loggerhead Lane – This is a classic lazy river. It goes through a cave with cichlid fish and past the Commerson's dolphin exhibit.
Wave Pools
- Cutback Cove – This is the deeper of the two wave pools. It's narrower, so the waves can sometimes be a bit bigger.
- Big Surf Shores – This pool is wider than Cutback Cove. It is sometimes closed during slower times of the year.
Children's Areas
- Kata's Kookaburra Cove – This area is made for younger children. It has smaller slides and fun water features.
- Walkabout Waters – This is a play fort with slides, ladders, and big buckets that dump water.
Aquatica San Antonio: Fun in Texas
Aquatica San Antonio is in San Antonio, Texas. This water park opened on May 19, 2012. It is next to SeaWorld San Antonio. It has many rides for all ages. Some rides let you see animals up close.
- Stingray Falls – This is a family raft ride. It takes riders through twists and turns. Then it goes through an underwater cave where you can see stingrays and tropical fish. It was the first ride of its kind in the world!
- Walhalla Wave – A thrilling raft slide.
- HooRoo Run – Named after the Australian word for "goodbye."
- The Toilets – A unique slide experience.
- Kiwi Curl – A fun, twisting slide.
- Tonga Twisters – (New for 2020) These are new body slides.
- Cutback Cove Slides – Exciting slides for all.
- Walkabout Waters – A large play area with water features.
- Ke-Re Reef – A relaxing water area.
- Roa's Aviary – A special bird habitat.
- Zippity Zappity – A quick and fun slide.
- Whanau Way – A tower with multiple slides.
- Loggerhead Lane – A calm lazy river.
- Big Surf Shores – A large wave pool.
- IhU's Breakaway Falls – (New for 2019) These are drop slides. They are advertised as the tallest in Texas!
In 2014, Aquatica San Antonio opened Roa's Aviary. This is a large bird habitat in the middle of Loggerhead Lane. It has a special waterfall entrance to keep the birds inside. The aviary is 34,000 square feet and is home to many different kinds of birds.
Former Attractions
- Woohoo Falls – This slide opened in 1993. It was removed after the 2019 season to make way for Tonga Twisters.
Aquatica San Diego: California Fun
The former Knott's Soak City San Diego in Chula Vista, California reopened as Aquatica San Diego on June 1, 2013. It has many rides for all ages. One ride even goes by a flamingo habitat! This water park was shown on the TV show "Xtreme Waterparks."
Aquatica San Diego will be changing its theme to Sesame Place San Diego for the 2022 season.
- Whanau Way – This is a 60-foot-tall water slide complex. It has six body slides, some enclosed and some open.
- Woohoo Falls – Three 60-foot-tall slides for single inner tubes. Two are enclosed, and one is open.
- Kiwi Curl – Three 60-foot-tall slides for double inner tubes. Two are enclosed, and one is open.
- Walhalla Wave – A 78-foot-tall family raft water slide for four people.
- Tassie's Twister – A 75-foot-tall water slide that drops 60 feet into a huge six-story funnel.
- Taumata Racer – A six-lane racing slide where guests slide down on mats. It has both enclosed and open sections.
- Big Surf Shores – A huge 550,000-gallon wave pool. It's located near a freshwater turtle exhibit.
- Loggerhead Lane – A 1250-foot-long lazy river. It goes past the Caribbean flamingo exhibit.
- Walkabout Waters – A four-story play area. It has two slides, hoses, jets, and a 500-gallon bucket that dumps water every five minutes.
- Kata's Kookaburra Cove – A play area for younger children. It has a pool and a waterfall.
- Slippity Dippity – Another play area designed for children with smaller slides.
Aquatica San Diego was planned to change in 2021. It will now become Sesame Place San Diego in 2022. This new park will be themed after Sesame Street. It will have gentle roller coasters, carousels, and other family-friendly rides. It will also feature the famous Sesame Street, a parade, live shows, and chances to meet characters. The new park will keep many of the water rides that are good for younger children. For now, the only Aquatica slide planned to be removed is HooRoo Run, which has an 80-foot drop.
Former Attractions
- HooRoo Run – An 80-foot-tall speed slide. It had two open-air and two enclosed slides. This slide was removed after the 2019 season.
