ProSlide Technology Inc., the leader in the manufacturing and design of water rides, has partnered again with Siam Park, the internationally recognised water park in Costa Adeje, Tenerife. Together, the two companies have introduced a brand-new PIPElineBLAST named Saifa, as they continue to push the boundaries of innovation in the water park industry.
With a double drop, the riders are thrown straight into the action. They then climb via powerful uphill blasts before splitting off into two inward-facing FlyingSAUCER 30s, where they can catch views of their competitors in the nearby lanes. After another upward blast that reunites the two vehicles, opposing EXPLOSION curves create a dramatic divergence before riders come together again in a face-to-face booster section that launches riders at top speed towards each other.
The big finish features a race to the pool, ending with the classic ProSlide splashdown.
Blooloop speaks to Rick Hunter, president & CEO of ProSlide and Christoph Kiessling, founder of Siam Park, to find out why they think this is the best water coaster in the world, and how they have been working to drive the industry forward.
Presenting Saifa
Saifa, a custom-designed Dueling PIPElineBLAST water coaster, opened to the public with a grand opening on 1 September 2023.
“We’ve been doing water coasters since 2004,” says Hunter. “With every new ride we create, we are bettering our best work, taking the technology and the design to the next level.”
“Saifa is very high energy. I would say it’s the most variable water coaster in the world; for every moment of this ride, there is something going on. You’re either dropping or boosting, or you’re turning right or left, or you’re spiralling – it’s got the same entertainment value as a roller coaster.
“This is a serious custom design of a duelling water coaster that uses every best attribute and feature that we put together.”
Saifa’s total ride cumulative drop is an incredible 141 feet (almost 43 metres). The individual ride length experiences are 988 feet/301 metres each, giving a total track length of 1976 feet, or over 602 metres, for the two tracks combined. These are the tallest cumulative drops and longest water rides in a duelling format water coaster anywhere in the world.
A longstanding relationship
Hunter and Kiessling have a relationship that dates back almost 20 years:
“When we started the Siam Park project in Tenerife, I invited everybody to come and see the site,” says Kiessling. “Rick was the person with the biggest spirit. Because our plot of land here at Siam Park is on two hills, his background as a professional skier was very useful. I explained the vision as we walked around the hillside and dreamed together how to bring the park to life. And ever since we had that vision, we have worked together successfully.
“Of all the providers we ever had the pleasure to work with, ProSlide is always outstanding. They are like team members.”
Talking about why the partnership works, Hunter says:
“We’re extremely like-minded. Like Christoph, we are driven and are always striving for excellence. Together, we can deliver something that people don’t expect.
“When I visited in 2004, I’d been designing rides for 24 years already, and so when Christoph and I toured the site together, it was easy for me to see what a great opportunity it was and how we could create rides that worked in harmony with these amazing slopes.”
Doing things differently at Siam Park
From the start, Siam Park has aimed to do things differently and to push the boundaries, explains Kiessling:
“We really focus on storytelling. Each walkway up to the top has its own theming, each has a different story and different views, so it’s more entertaining for visitors.”
“After opening in 2008 we had a target of 600,000 visitors per year. Each year we had more and more visitors, so we were looking for new attractions. We added Kinnaree [a ProSlide Tornado24 going into a TornadoWave 60] in 2012, and then we did Singha [a ProSlide hybrid of a RocketBlast and FlyingSaucer 45] in 2015 and Patong Rapids [a ProSlide Mammoth going into a double FlyingSaucer 45 feature] in 2018.”
“After that, our numbers went over a million.”
The park did not, however, rest on its laurels at this point:
“We thought the next step after COVID was to add another new ride because the demand was high. Once COVID was over, everybody wanted to go and have fun. We wanted to have more capacity in the park, and also offer a new benchmark within the waterpark industry. Singha is an award-winning ride, and will always be a great ride, but we wanted to present the evolution of Singha with a new duelling element.”
The Saifa experience
Outlining the guest experience of Saifa, Kiessling says that, like the park’s other rides, it starts with a build-up of anticipation as visitors make their way to the top:
“First, you climb 30 metres up the mountain: it’s one of the highest points in the park. Then you have that lash of wind which comes over the ocean, with our long orange flags whipping around you, and you have this real sense of excitement waiting for your ride.”
“We work a lot with the sensation of acceleration, but also with the views. For instance, when you get into the last curve, you’re going super-fast and then as you approach the end, the only thing you can see is the horizon, the sea and the sky. You don’t see a reception pool, you don’t see a slide, you don’t see the park itself.
“Then you have this five-metre drop into a giant reception pool with crystal clear water. And you have so much speed that your boat just glides over that surface, for at least another 10 metres.”
The duelling element keeps riders coming back for more
The experience is enhanced by the competition element too, with both side-by-side racing elements and a face-to-face section.
“That competition element is amazing,” says Hunter. “For our duelling rides, we’ve created a new mould so that we form the fibreglass and the slides side by side. You can’t touch each other, but it feels like you’re just an arm’s length away from your competition.
“At the start, we just have one roof going over the top, so you can still see your competition even when you’re in the terminal. Then when you come out of the top, you separate and you come firing out, and then you go blasting up at over 30 feet per second. It’s super-fast. At that point, you can see each other side by side, and then you’re in the tunnel together. And then you separate and you’re in your own tunnels before coming out into a 25-degree flying saucer.”
“Then you are side by side again through more elements like a double drop, double booster and more twists and turns before you are separated to go through another flying saucer 20 on either side.”
This is where they come to the face-to-face section:
“You’re shot towards each other at high speed. You pass each other and then go through another flying saucer 20, back into the tunnel, and come back together for the last major drop. At this point, you feel like you’re going into outer space. Then the bottom drops out underneath you and you come flying into the pool.
“It’s so smooth, you go whipping across the whole pool.”
The benefits of the PIPElineBLAST water coaster
In addition to providing an unforgettable guest experience, the PIPElineBLAST brings extra benefits to the operator. This model offers inclines that are 100% steeper than those of traditional “blaster” coasters but with a 50% increase in payload capacity and a 50% reduction in power consumption. It also offers a 25% reduction in water usage thanks to an integrated control system, setting new records for efficiency and environmental friendliness.
At 720 riders per hour, ProSlide’s Dueling PIPElineBLAST water coasters are also leading in terms of capacity.
“ProSlide’s blast technology is our own custom water propulsion technology where we use nozzles to drive a consistent and quick speed, driving and propelling all the way along the ride,” says Hunter.
“The unique thing about the technology is that it creates this amazing water line and smooth laminar flow that doesn’t accumulate water on the flue. It’s the fastest that you’ll ever get with water propulsion going uphill. And Saifa is consistently fast, be it downhill, or curving and boosting uphill.
“This type of water propulsion is also very efficient, so it’s cost-effective for the operator too.”
Creating Saifa
While the topography of the Siam Park site might seem like a challenge, Hunter says it is the land that makes the water park unique. For Siafa, the ProSlide team once again designed something in harmony with the topography.
ProSlide has made use of the area’s natural rock formations to create a ride experience that blends with the park’s natural beauty. Saifa’s course meanders through lush flora and carefully crafted canals inside the natural stone, offering a journey that embodies the essence of both Siam Park and Tenerife.
“Other than the tower itself and maybe a couple of slightly more elevated areas, the ride is close to grade,” says Hunter.
“The difference when manufacturers are working with Siam Park and our landscape is that we give them the mountain and then they must meld the ride to it,” says Kiessling.
“We don’t want to show fibreglass, we don’t want to show the ride – for us, it’s more important what you feel. So, having the rides very close to the mountain helps. You don’t see structures.
“ProSlide understands the landscape and how to make the highest usage of that landscaping. They are able to work with the mountain, not against the mountain.”
The guests’ reaction
The ride is already making waves with Siam Park’s loyal visitors:
“When people come off Saifa, they can barely believe what they’ve experienced, because there are so many things happening in the ride,” says Hunter. “People who visit Siam Park tend to go back every year and they’re saying that it is the best ride in the park. This ride will be a stand-out attraction for years and years.”
Kiessling adds:
“They love it. When they come down, they just line up and do it again. And, since it’s a duelling ride, you get a different experience each time. It’s also a ride that caters to all ages. It’s high adrenaline, but it’s so safe that anyone can ride.”
What’s next for Siam Park?
Kiessling says that the next project at Siam Park will concentrate on the park’s youngest guests:
“When we’ve added a big new ride for guests of over 1 metre 20, we then want to upgrade the experience for the younger kids too.”
“If you start being a fan from a young age, maybe it can take you throughout your whole life, and you want to come back every year. My friends say to me, ‘Since you did the park, our kids don’t want to travel anywhere else. Every year they want to come back to Siam Park’. For me, that’s the best recognition.
“Creating a destination where people enjoy, smile and just want to come back again and again, that’s all I want.”
Continuing to innovate at ProSlide
The ProSlide team has had a busy year with several notable project openings, and more on the way. For instance, the firm recently unveiled the new Turtle Coaster at The Land of Legends Water Park in Turkey.
The longest four-person RocketBLAST water coaster in the world, Turtle Coaster incorporates state-of-the-art ProSlide technologies. Eight uphill BLAST sections propel the ride’s four-person boats upwards using patented “BLAST” water propulsion technology. The ride also makes use of four award-winning FlyingSAUCERs and a FlatBLAST, situated at the beginning of the ride in place of a start tower.
“There’s never been a better time than now to build or expand a water park, because we’re always bettering our best work,” says Hunter. “And rides of this calibre do not go stale. They stand the test of time; nothing goes into obsolescence if it is quality built in the first place.
“The pandemic was awful because our clients were hurting. Everyone had to jam the brakes on. But we’ve come out the other side flying. All the hard work and innovation over the last 37 years has come back to us and has bred loyalty. We’ve always put innovation first, and that’s what sets us apart from everyone else.
“We also love truly working in partnership with our clients. Our relationship with Christoph and Siam Park is a perfect example, where we’ve been able to work with people who believe what we believe, who are competitive, inventive, and who won’t compromise on quality.”
