Aquatica Florida

Aquatica
Location	Orlando, Florida
Coordinates	28.4156°N 81.4560°W / 28.4156; -81.4560
Website	Aquatica Home Page
Owner	SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment
Opened	March 1, 2008
Operating season	All Year
Area	59 acres (240,000 m2)
Attractions	36 water slides
Slogan	Fun as endless as the sea itself.
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Aquatica is a water park operated by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and located near Orlando, Florida. The park, which opened to guests on March 1, 2008, is a companion to SeaWorld Orlando and is located across International Drive from the main theme park. The park is themed to the southern Pacific and features Australian and New Zealand based mascots.

In its debut year, the park hosted approximately 950,000 guests, making it the fourth-most visited water park in the United States and eighth-most visited in the world. The park was an immediate success, reaching its opening-year attendance goal in just six months.

Development history

Main Entrance

SeaWorld originally announced plans to build a water park on July 15, 2005. The announcement stated that it would be a "natural" park and revealed the park's iconic Dolphin Plunge water slides.

On March 5, 2007, SeaWorld held a press conference officially announcing Aquatica. Construction continued in earnest throughout 2007 and into early 2008. Previews for employees and holders of park annual passes were held in February. On March 1, 2008 the park opened to guests for the first time, with the official grand opening held on April 4, 2008.

Attractions

The park features a wide array of attractions for all ages and swimming abilities, some of which pass by or through animal habitats.

Body/mat slides

• Dolphin Plunge - the park's signature attraction, these two enclosed tube slides pass through a pool containing a pod of Commerson's dolphins.

The eight lane final drop on Taumata Racer

• Taumata Racer - an eight-lane racing slide with guests sliding down on mats through enclosed and open sections.

Raft slides

The Dolphin Plunge slides make up the park's signature attraction.

• Whanau Way - a tower with four double-raft slides.
• Tassie's Twisters - a pair of funnel-like slides that can be ridden in single or double rafts.
• Omaka Rocka - Aquatica's newest ride, clover shaped carrying each one rider rafts descend into one of two slides that look like a tornado funnel layer on its side.

Multi-person raft slides

• Walhalla Wave - a twisty slide with enclosed, pitch-dark segments.
• HooRoo Run - sharing a tower with Walhalla Wave, this triple-dip slide is short, but fast.

Lazy rivers

Roa's Rapids is a faster version of the traditional lazy river

• Roa's Rapids - a faster, aggressive version of the lazy river with geysers, speed zones and center islands.
• Loggerhead Lane - a traditional lazy river that passes through a grotto of cichlids and the Commerson's dolphin exhibit.

Wave pools

Both wave pools share an extensive, 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m²) man made white-sand beach area equipped deck chairs, Sun beds and umbrellas.

• Cutback Cove - featuring stronger, taller waves.
• Big Surf Shores - featuring gentler, rolling waves.

Children's areas

• Kata's Kookaburra Cove - designed for younger children, with smaller slides and play features.
• Walkabout Waters - a play fortress with slides, ladders and dumping water buckets.

Park mascots

Instead of importing established characters from SeaWorld, such as Shamu, Aquatica has developed its own set of characters, known as "park ambassadors." Visible on merchandise and on signage and statuary throughout the park, these characters include:

• Roa, a kiwi
• Kata, a kookaburra
• Wai, a Commerson's dolphin
• Ihu, a gecko
• Papa, a Royal Spoonbill
• Wae Wae, a takahē
• Motu, a turtle

Commerson's dolphins

Aquatica's Commerson's dolphins are all captive-born males who came from SeaWorld's park in California.

• Fabio
• Keebler
• Pepe
• Ross

See also

• Aquatica Texas
• Incidents at SeaWorld parks