WhiteWater, a leading waterpark manufacturer, has been exhibiting at IAAPA Expo Europe in London this week, where the firm made a number of key announcements.
Firstly, WhiteWater revealed more about its sustainability commitments, showing how it is responding to the climate crisis with new innovations. For example, it works with 3D simulations in the design phase to prevent water loss, and is also working on ways parks can reduce water consumption and extend the life of attractions across its entire portfolio.
In the Czech Republic, WhiteWater is creating and installing an AquaForms 300 and AquaSplash toys for Aqualand Moravia. The aquatic play structure is designed to balance both style and substance, providing more available play space in a small footprint. The patented water delivery structural system was engineered to easily adjust to variations in pool floor and require less water, as well as being built with longer-lasting, corrosive-resistant materials.
In addition, AquaForms features multiple foot and hand activators so certain features will only turn on when a child presses one of the nine buttons, saving water and adding more engaging interactivity.
Sustainability at WhiteWater
The company’s Water Rides Team is also working on extending equipment life for “dry” attractions, helping to maximise their operations. One way the team has done this is through boat refurbishment, which refreshes older water rides. Upgrading both the look and functionality, the boats have new features like hydraulic lap bars for added comfort and removable floorboards for easy maintenance.
“Water rides are a classic staple at theme parks, with nearly every park around the world operating at least one,” says Domingo Vergoossen, vice president of global business development – water rides. “Besides supplying new rides, it is our goal at WhiteWater to help theme parks make these rides last for decades to come and enhance them with the latest technology or upgrade them with new exciting features.”
An example is Ireland’s Tayto Park, where guests will be able to enjoy upgraded boats on the popular Viking Voyage ride from 2023. This will boost the ride’s capacity by 30%. The Tayto Park example highlights WhiteWater’s ability to assess existing water rides and purpose-fit their ride vehicles to help theme parks solve issues, reach their performance goals, and improve overall guest satisfaction.
In order to reduce air travel, WhiteWater also has a full-service office in each region, and this year its Munich and Dubai offices expanded and relocated into larger spaces.
Key new hires
WhiteWater also announced some new key hires, including Jeremy Gray who joined the Middle East team in Dubai as VP of business development, and industry veteran Michael Jungen who has taken on the role of president at Vantage.
“I have a vision of success for our industry: we must strive for the purest, simplest, and most powerful emotional connection for guests with the park experience – JOY!” says Jungen. “The reason is simple: if we do, everything else takes care of itself. Join me on this journey, and together we will take the term ‘experience’ to another level, where the entire chain of stakeholders and shareholders wins.”
Project updates
During the firm’s press conference, it celebrated progress on the SURFTOWN MUC project, which officially broke ground this summer. Europe’s First Endless Surf Pool is located close to Munich Airport and is expected to open in the spring of 2024.
Rainer Maelzer, president of WhiteWater ERA GmbH, says: “The vision for SURFTOWN MUC is revolutionary. This is undoubtedly a world-class surf park in the making, and we are thrilled to bring it to life and add to Munich’s growing reputation of being a European powerhouse for action sports.”
Another Endless Surf facility is coming to Wisemans Surf Lodge in Australia. The 45-acre development in Wisemans Ferry will be built along the Hawkesbury River, just 60 minutes from Sydney’s Harbour Bridge.
Meanwhile, WhiteWater has almost completed work on the tallest water slide tower in the world, located at Meryal in Qatar. Standing at 85 metres/260 feet high, this will also break the record for most water slides on a single tower at 12. The water park will feature a total of 36 water slides and will open in late 2023.
The company also announced a collaboration with LD-Architecten on Belgium’s most ambitious public-private sustainability project to date. With the goal of running on renewable energy, the new swimming pool complex of Sportoase in Sint-Niklaas is set to open in the summer of 2024 and will triple the current capacity of the swimming pool. It will include four of WhiteWater’s popular water slides, including the first Slideboarding water slide in Europe.
WhiteWater is continuing its relationship with MSC Cruises, having provided aquatic equipment for ten of the company’s cruise ships. The latest of these is MSC Seascape, which features a custom-themed Adventure Trail, AquaPlay 150, AquaSplash spray toys, and three water slides.
New WhiteWater products
New WhiteWater products announced at IAAPA Expo Europe include FlowCurl, FlowSurf and Blasterango Battle. FlowCurl fills the gap between the FlowRider stationary surf line and FlowBarrel, appealing to a wide demographic. It has a straight flow section where beginners can learn, as well as a more challenging curling section for advanced riders.
FlowSurf offers a river surfing experience on full-sized surfboards and is modelled after the Eisbach River Wave in Munich. It maximizes energy efficiency by creating a smooth flow of water for riders’ enjoyment while minimising power costs for operators.
The company’s new Blasterango Battle, which fuses the drops and blasts of Master Blaster with the zero-gravity thrills of Boomerango, debuted at Soaky Mountain Waterpark in Tennessee. With two side-by-side racing lanes, visitors can compete against their friends and family for interactive fun that encourages repeat ridership.
Elsewhere, WhiteWater opened North America’s first SlideWheel at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park and the world’s first Boomerango Squeeze + Constrictor fusion at Ocean Park Hong Kong.
“With a team spanning across design, engineering, manufacturing, and installation, WhiteWater is renowned for its expertise in creating icons that no other company can,” says Paul Chutter, WhiteWater president. “As our company heads into 2023, we look forward to continuing work with our partners to build attractions that will not only help to generate a higher gate and ROI, but also put their parks on the map as global tourist destinations.”
WhiteWater has recently announced a new look for another of its surfing brands, FlowRider, which has undergone a fresh rebrand in time for the summer season.
