PW-MAR20-44-45-Attraction-Profile.qxp_Feature 30/03/2020 15:42 Page 44


Attraction Profile www.parkworld-online.com


Experience VR underwater at Kalahari Resorts


Imagine swimming with whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico or humpback whales in Hawaii, snorkeling a pristine reef or exploring the international space station. Underwater Virtual Reality (VR) is re- defining immersive digital entertainment, allowing guests to explore in a near-zero gravity environment. Park World reports.


system. (Surprisingly, DIVR means nothing; it’s not an acronym.) It combines the weightlessness of being in water with the immersion of Virtual Reality, resulting in an unprecedented full-body sensory experience. This technology transforms any pool into a fantastic adventure where anyone can go flying, deep sea diving, or on a spacewalk. Its partner, Sub Sea Systems, is hoping to upgrade some of those systems to the DIVR+ version in which participants hold onto a thruster that produces varying flows of water and air bubbles for enhanced tactile sensations. These special effects are queued in unison with the visual content, resulting in an increasingly realistic VR experience.


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VR Snorkeling To try out the basic system that is now operating at three Kalahari resorts, Park World visited Kalahari Resorts in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania only to find out that Kalahari had been doing pioneering VR capture prior to installing the Ballast DIVR system. “My team travelled to Africa to capture several


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allast Technologies has created a waterproof VR headset and used it to develop the DIVR virtual reality snorkeling


adventures in VR including paragliding, diving with sharks off of Capetown, documenting Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner for many years, a safari trip, and even a hot air balloon trip over the Serengeti,” explains Cary M. Brandt, corporate creative director Entertainment, Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. “It was footage that we packaged for our guests to experience back here at Kalahari. Virtual Reality is a whole new way to tell our story.” “My next vision was to create experiences that


could happen ‘live’ in our water parks. Brandt continued. “I envisioned a lazy river experience, a water slide experience, underwater experiences, as well as experiences for folks that physically are unable to go down a waterslide. One evening three years ago I was searching the internet for anything water VR related and stumbled upon Stephen Greenwood (founder of Ballast Technologies) who had posted a


small clip of him out at his apartment pool with a Samsung phone affixed to a scuba mask. When one put the mask in the water, it looked like a giant shipwreck was off in the distance. I reached out to Stephen and shared the Kalahari vision with him. Over the next year Stephen and I collaborated on ways to bring my visions to life. We have become great friends


and collaborators over the past few years and one of


the exciting elements created was DIVR.” Kalahari Resorts was the first in the US to debut this


underwater virtual reality snorkeling experience. “DIVR was a natural first step in realizing the dream of an


MARCH 2020 About Kalahari


Resorts Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, Sandusky, Ohio, Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania, and coming soon to Round Rock, Texas, deliver a “world-away” waterpark resort and conference experience. The authentically African-themed Kalahari Resorts, privately owned by the Nelson family, are home to America’s largest indoor waterparks. All Kalahari Resorts feature well-appointed guest rooms, full-service Spa Kalahari, a fully equipped fitness center, on-site restaurants, unique retail shops and a state-of-the-art conference center. Kalahari Resorts and Convention Centers frequently receive awards and accolades for their guest and convention services.


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