AquaLoop

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AquaLoop
Wetnwildaqualoopcarpark.JPG
AquaLoop at Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast
General statistics
Type Water slide
Designer WhiteWater West, AQUARENA
Height17 m (56 ft)
Drop16 m (52 ft)
Length88.4 m (290 ft)
Speed60 km/h (37 mph)
Duration7 seconds
G-force 2.5
Installations20+
RestrictionsRiders must be at least 120 cm (3 ft 11 in) in height and weigh between 45 kg (99 lb) and 130 kg (290 lb) to ride. [1]

An AquaLoop is a type of body water slide where single riders are dropped down a near vertical slide and into an inclined loop. They are usually located in water parks.

Contents

History

Austrian manufacturer Aquarena [2] developed the world's first mass-produced fully inverted looping water slide, known as the AquaLoop. [3] The slide is currently licensed and distributed by Canadian water slide manufacturer WhiteWater West. [4] There are nearly 20 AquaLoop installations around the world. [5] The first installation was at Terme 3000 water park, Slovenia in 2008. [6] Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast was the first to install more than one AquaLoop at a single location. [7] [8] [9] The AquaLoop uses a trap-door to release riders down a 17-metre (56 ft) near-vertical descent at a speed of up to 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph). Riders experience 2.5  Gs in less than 2 seconds. [10] The whole ride is over within 7 seconds. [11]

Ride

An AquaLoop is launched from a 17-metre (56 ft) platform. A single rider is loaded into a launch chamber where they stand with their hands across their chest. After a countdown, a trapdoor opens and the rider immediately drops 16 metres (52 ft) inside a near vertical slide. The rider accelerates to 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph) in just 2 seconds before entering the loop element. This element is a variation of the traditional vertical loop because it lies on an angle of approximately 45°. This variation of a loop is called an inclined loop. The 165-metre (541 ft) slide is over within 7 seconds. [11] [12]

Installations

2 AquaLoop slides aboard Norwegian Breakaway. Norwegian Breakaway 42.JPG
2 AquaLoop slides aboard Norwegian Breakaway.
NameWater parkLocationNumber of slidesOpened
360Rush Wet'n'Wild Sydney Flag of Australia (converted).svg Prospect, Australia4 slides12 December 2013 [13]
Climax Waterbom Park Flag of Indonesia.svg Bali, Indonesia 1 slide2010[ citation needed ]
AquaLoop Paradise Island Water Park Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Chengdu, China1 slide28 June 2013[ citation needed ]
Loopy whoopy Aqua magica Flag of India.svg Mumbai, Maharashtra, India 1 slide
AquaLoop Beijing Watercube Water Park Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Beijing, China1 slide8 August 2010 [14] [15]
Mambo Blue Bayou and Dixie Landin' Flag of the United States.svg Baton Rouge, United States4 slides2012 [16]
Aqualoop Calypso Park Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ottawa, Canada2 slides24 June 2011 [17]
AquaLoop Caribbean Bay Flag of South Korea.svg Yongin, South Korea 4 slides17 June 2011 [18]
AquaLoopEl Rollo Flag of Mexico.svg Tlaquiltenango, Mexico1 slide2014 [19]
El abismoParque Acuático Ixtapan Flag of Mexico.svg Ixtapan de la Sal, Mexico1 slide2010 [20]
La Chute Jay Peak Resort Flag of the United States.svg Jay, United States1 slide25 November 2011 [5]
AqualoopJolly Roger Amusement Park Flag of the United States.svg Ocean City, United States1 slide2012 [21]
Aqualoop Terme 3000 Flag of Slovenia.svg Moravske Toplice, Slovenia 1 slideMay 2008 [22]
AquaLoop Wet'n'Wild Gold Coast Flag of Australia (converted).svg Gold Coast, Australia4 slides18 September 2010 [23]
AquaLoopCamping Le Pommier Flag of France.svg Villeneuve-de-Berg, France1 slideJune 2013 [24]
AquaLoopingAqua Magis Flag of Germany.svg Plettenberg, Germany1 slide19 September 2008 [25]
Climax Waterbom Park Flag of Indonesia.svg Kuta, Bali, Indonesia 1 slide2011[ citation needed ]
Cyclone World Waterpark Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Edmonton, Canada1 slide12 August 2011[ citation needed ]
Goop Loop Cartoon Network Amazone Waterpark Flag of Thailand.svg Pattaya, Thailand 1 slide3 October 2014 [26]
L2Wave Flag of Austria.svg Wörgl, Austria1 slide with double loopMarch 2010 [27] [28]
Liwa Loop Yas Waterworld Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 1 slide2014[ citation needed ]
Looping-RutscheAqualand Flag of Germany.svg Köln, Germany1 slide11 April 2009 [29]
Lunar Loop Wilderness Territory Flag of the United States.svg Wisconsin Dells, United States1 slideJune 2012[ citation needed ]
Scorpion's Tail Noah's Ark Water Park Flag of the United States.svg Wisconsin Dells, United States1 slide29 May 2010 [5]
Booster Loop Aquaparc Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Le Bouveret, Switzerland1 slide8 May 2010 [30]
UnknownTherme Amadé Flag of Austria.svg Altenmarkt, Austria1 slideAugust 2011 [31]
Pegasus IIKristall Palm Beach Flag of Germany.svg Stein, Germany1 slide with double loop12 December 2012 [32]
Hurricane Loop Miramar Flag of Germany.svg Weinheim, Germany1 slide with double loopJuly 2012 [33]
Skyron RocketOdissea 2000 Flag of Italy.svg Corigliano-Rossano, Italy1 slideJune 2014 [34]
AquaLoop RamaYana Water Park Flag of Thailand.svg Pattaya, Thailand 1 slide May 2016 [35]
AquaLoop Wild River Country Flag of the United States.svg Little Rock, United States1 slide May 2015 [36]
The BullchuteTyphoon Texas Flag of the United States.svg Katy, United States1 slide May 2016 [37]
LassoloopEpic Waters Flag of the United States.svg Grand Prairie, United States1 slideJanuary 2018
AquaLoopWater Park Tychy Flag of Poland.svg Tychy, Poland1 slide30 April 2018
Posseidons Revenge Atlantis Aquaventure Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Dubai, United Arab Emirates2 slidesMay 2013
Free Fall Norwegian Breakaway (Cruise Ship) Flag of the Bahamas.svg Nassau, Bahamas 2 slides30 April 2013 [38]
Free Fall Norwegian Getaway (Cruise Ship) Flag of the Bahamas.svg Nassau, Bahamas 2 slides2 November 2013 [39]
Free Fall Norwegian Escape (Cruise Ship) Flag of the Bahamas.svg Nassau, Bahamas 2 slides15 August 2015 [40]
Ocean Loops Norwegian Bliss (Cruise Ship) Flag of the Bahamas.svg Nassau, Bahamas 1 slide with double loop15 March 2018 [41]
Ocean Loops Norwegian Joy (Cruise Ship) Flag of the Bahamas.svg Nassau, Bahamas 1 slide with double loop4 March 2017 [42]
Ocean Loops Norwegian Encore (Cruise Ship) Flag of the Bahamas.svg Nassau, Bahamas 1 slide with double loop30 October 2019 [43]
Wipeout Hurricane Harbor Rockford Flag of the United States.svg Cherry Valley, United States1 slide2017 [44]

Similar water slides

The first known existence of a looping water slide was at Action Park in Vernon, USA, in the mid-1980s. Their water slide featured a vertical loop but was repeatedly closed due to safety concerns. [45] [46] [47]

More recently, ProSlide developed the SuperLOOP which features a fast, downward spiralling helix after a trapdoor release. [48] The first installation was The Wedgie at nearby WhiteWater World. [49] It was marketed as a looping water slide despite riders never actually experiencing an inversion. [50]

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References

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