WATERPARKS Water Parks
Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari CEO dies
WILL Koch, CEO of Holiday
World & Splashin’ Safari amusement and waterpark, in Santa Claus, Indiana, US, died suddenly on June 13. Family members found Koch at his home and it is
believed the cause of death was due to complications resulting from diabetes. Koch, 48, was CEO of Koch Development Corporation,
the parent company of Holiday World Theme Park and Splashin’ Safari Waterpark. Under his direction, the theme park followed an aggressive growth programme, including the addition of Splashin’ Safari Water Park in 1993, The Raven and The Legend wooden roller coasters in 1995 and 2000, plus The Voyage wooden coaster in 2006, for which he was a designer. In 2004, Koch received the international Applause
Award from the amusement industry, the criteria for the coveted award including foresight, originality and creativity, along with sound business development and profitability. Each year since 2006, annual seasonal attendance at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari has topped one million visitors. This year, the park premiered Wildebeest, the world’s longest water coaster. Koch is survived by his wife, Lori and three children,
Lauren, Leah and William. He is also survived by his mother, Pat, and siblings Dan, Kristi, Philip and Natalie.
SplashTown debuts Swirl City
SPLASHTown at Darien Lake in the US has opened the 2010 season with the debut of its new Swirl City slide complex (pictured) featuring the new ProSlide Topsy-Turvey – one of only two at outdoor waterparks worldwide. The Swirl City Topsy-Turvy takes riders through dark
enclosed tubes and into three different funnels, two enclosed and one open, with exciting twists and a double spiral for an “exhilarating” ride experience from top to bottom. The Topsy-Turvy starts with riders cruising through back-
to-back radius curves before an unexpected drop into a funnel where they oscillate back and forth and then exit back into the enclosed tunnel and onto the next lot of curves and funnels. The Swirl City slide complex features three other ProSlide
water rides that all leave from the same tower, offering a variety of ride experiences, including the CannonBowl, with its high-speed drop that plunges riders into a giant 40ft wide bowl, and Pipelines, where riders snake and spiral through the giant slide complex in enclosed tubes.
Empex introduces new line
EMPEX has created a new line of interactive water toys under the Aquanetics trademark. It sees children turn a hand wheel to produce different
sprays, water flows and kinetic effects such as turning pelton wheels, spinners, gears and pinwheels to create a “zany” effect of water motion. Incorporating several Aquanetic structures in a
new expanded curvilinear Aquadek, Empex has also introduced its latest concept - the Aquacircus. This is a climb and slide structure which provides a myriad of different slide experiences and creative interactive activity. Complete with Aquaclunes creative spray clowns and
Aquatons spray features around the structure, it results in a “zany” visual for both players and spectators.
New waterpark plan for Fort Lauderdale
A POTENTIAL competitor to Bahamas tourism could spring up in two years as Fort Lauderdale launches a partnership to build an Atlantis-style waterpark resort with a company that worked on Paradise Island’s attractions. Currently Fort Lauderdale is one of the corridors through
which thousands of US tourists cruise and fly to the Bahamas but now the city’s aging sports stadium could be turned into a major waterpark resort by 2012. Similar to the Atlantis waterpark, it would consist of
giant river systems where visitors can ride inner-tubes or swim between water slides, wave pools, downhill rapids and beaches. It would also feature 300 tree house-style hotel rooms. City commissioners in Fort Lauderdale have agreed to
negotiate a deal with Schlitterbahn Development Group, which estimates the project will cost US$110m and draw approximately 10,000 visitors a day. Jeff Henry of Schlitterbahn commented: “We are
bringing a resort feel and it will be the equivalent or better than Atlantis in the Bahamas.” Schlitterbahn has waterparks in Kansas and Texas and
has been involved in the development of a waterpark in Dubai. Similar to Atlantis, a computer-controlled, water-based
conveyor system will run throughout the park and there will be artificial wave pools, pool-to-pool chutes and a network of rapids.
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The new Aquacircus concept from Empex
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