WhiteWater, a leading waterpark manufacturer, has hosted a press conference at IAAPA Expo 2025, which is taking place in Orlando this week.
This event highlighted the company's momentum, with details of ambitious new projects across a wide variety of venue types, as well as innovative attractions set to launch in 2026 and 2027, and was rounded off with a series of corporate announcements.
See also: Key education sessions, events & exhibitors at IAAPA Expo 2025
The Americas
With a focus on the Americas, WhiteWater showcased some key projects that have opened this year and looked ahead to 2026.
At Hotel Xcaret México in Playa del Carmen, families can enjoy five new water slides featuring AquaLucent, translucent, and veil fibreglass technologies as part of a major 2025 expansion.
In Aquiraz, Brazil, Beach Park has launched “Surreal,” the world’s tallest water coaster (pictured, top). This Master Blaster + Constrictor Fusion launches from a height of 28 metres (92 feet).
Also in Brazil, at Thermas dos Laranjais in Olímpia “Nações,” a mega 32-metre tower with two 6-person Family Blaster fusion raft rides, is nearly completed, while Norwegian Cruise Line’s Great Stirrup Cay in The Bahamas will debut Great Tides Waterpark.
Thermas dos Laranjais Nações - progress picture
This 24,000-square-metre (6-acre) attraction will feature 19 slides, a 52-metre (170-foot) Tidal Tower, and a RainFortress 5.
In the US, fans of the acclaimed family leisure brand Kalahari Resorts and Conventions are eagerly anticipating two projects.
At Wisconsin Dells, an $85-million indoor water park expansion will include seven children’s slides, two Parallel Pursuits and two 6-person family raft rides, including the first-ever Covered Boomerango.
In Virginia, a brand-new location will feature the state's largest indoor water park, with a well-rounded ride mix and a FlowRider Double.
Kalahari Resorts – Wisconsin Dells Expansion
In addition to water parks, WhiteWater is also working with theme parks and zoos.
At Dollywood in Tennessee, the Water Rides team is supplying a new fleet of robust composite vehicles for the visitor-favourite “Daredevil Falls” Super Flume.
While at the San Antonio Zoo in Texas, the Vantage team is launching a visitor engagement platform that includes apps for both guests and staff, along with a configuration and reporting portal that will boost satisfaction, help understand visitor behaviour, and increase sales.
Expansion for Endless Surf
Following O2 SURFTOWN MUC’s grand opening in August 2024 in Munich, Germany, Endless Surf’s cutting-edge surf lagoon has operated for over 6,000 hours with no downtime, and an average occupancy of 90%, has hosted up to 15,000 people for major events, and has achieved highly successful revenue opportunities.
With powerful pneumatic hardware and an innovative software suite, Endless Surf will launch five remarkable projects across five different venue types in 2026, demonstrating its adaptability to diverse business models.
In Saudi Arabia, the innovative water theme park Aquarabia Qiddiya City will debut the country's first surf pool. This will be followed by an Endless Surf ES36, featuring 36 caissons, at a luxury resort on the Red Sea.
In Brazil, an ES48 with 48 caissons will serve as the anchor for the members-only Brasil Surfe Clube Aretê Búzios. Meanwhile, in Mexico, Cabo Real Surf Club will draw selective home buyers to its exclusive luxury community using an ES48.
Furthermore, The Point, a standalone surf park in Vero Beach, will be both the first surf park in the state of Florida and the home of the first Endless Surf lagoon in the US, an ES36.
Endless Surf has also announced its biggest project to date, a record-breaking ES66, which will be built at Terras de São José, a residential community in Itu, in São Paulo, Brazil.
This model will provide amazingly long rides of 40 seconds in Single Peak mode, and 20 seconds in Split Peak.
Introducing new products and experiences
WhiteWater presented the next generation of aquatic play: AquaAdrenaline.
Set over a purpose-built or repurposed existing pool, it offers an unrestrained adventure course with compelling agility challenges. AquaAdrenaline encourages free exploration, enabling children to challenge their limits while fostering multi-generational play.
PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park in Tarragona, Spain, will be the first to introduce this new category of water park rides.
Nautilus and Hurricane are also among the water slides to debut in the coming years.
Like a spiralled seashell, Nautilus is an oscillating slide feature that adapts to incoming slide paths and speeds. It is set to thrill visitors at Great Tides Waterpark in 2026.
Hurricane is a visually striking feature for 6-person rafts that surprises riders with a fun pool-entry-like deceleration, followed by strong vertical and centripetal acceleration at the exit. It will debut in the US in 2027.
Because a great visitor experience extends beyond physical slides and attractions, Vantage offers a unified platform for guests, operations, and commerce to personalise experiences and ensure every touchpoint is seamless.
Each guest account connected to multiple systems, including ticketing, POS, gamification, marketing, and more. This means that whether at water parks, theme parks, or zoos, the Vantage platform can anticipate visitors' needs.
The team highlighted the newest venue to implement Vantage, with San Antonio Zoo going live in December 2025.
Onno Meeter, president, Water Parks, says: "The landscape for water parks and attractions is evolving, weaving together thematic storytelling, technology, and sport to create experiences that friends and family would want to share, both in person and online.
"With the biggest portfolio in the industry, WhiteWater is well poised to help clients with this shift towards building multi-experience destinations."
Collaboration, sustainability, and scholarships
WhiteWater made three announcements at the conclusion of the press conference.
The company revealed a strategic partnership with Swimplex to introduce its products and services to Australia.
Combining WhiteWater’s international expertise with Swimplex’s extensive local knowledge, this collaboration will strengthen support for developers, accelerate project delivery, and enhance aquatic experiences in this market.
It also shared that it has passed its second ISO 14001 audit and that Endless Surf has been added to its certification scope.
This international standard for environmental management systems indicates to partners and clients that sustainability is an essential aspect of WhiteWater’s processes, and can be adopted by other players in the attractions sector.
In addition to promoting sustainability across attractions, WhiteWater supports advancing the industry and closing the opportunity gap for underrepresented groups.
The company has introduced the 2026 IDEA Scholarships, which support attendance at IAAPA’s Institute for Executive Development (IXD). Scholarships are available for both the programme in Riyadh in April 2026 and in Orlando in November 2026.
Applications are open now for the first programme.
Last month, WhiteWater was honoured with four Leading Edge Awards at the World Waterpark Association Show in Orlando, Florida.
