A water park oasis in the Saudi desert
Record-breaking rides on tap for AquArabia
Parks, attractions, and manufacturers have been capitalizing on the annual Saudi Entertainment & Amusement Expo, which wraps up today in Riyadh, to release news and trumpet projects under development in the Middle East. Among the announcements, Qiddiya, the mega-resort taking shape in Saudi Arabia, revealed details about the water park that will be one its highlights. Scheduled to open in 2025, AquArabia (great name!) will have an impressive collection of slides and other attractions, a number of which will break ground and shatter records.
I’ve already written about Aquaticar, the first-of-its-kind ride in which passengers in submersible vehicles will navigate underwater with nothing but a dome covering the upper half of their bodies. (If that description has you bewildered–and your reaction is totally understandable–read my take on the attraction to get a sense of just how revolutionary, not to mention curiously compelling, the ride will be.) But that’s just the start of AquArabia’s lineup of wild ways to get wet.
Junoon Drop will send riders in large, circular rafts along a 1,690-foot course that will include a 138-foot drop. That will give Qiddiya bragging rights for the world’s tallest and second-longest water coaster. To put the stats in perspective, Tsunami Surge at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor near Chicago, which is the current record holder for tallest water coaster, stands at 86 feet. Junoon Drop will be 60% taller. Since the Six Flags ride hits a top speed of 28 mph, I’d have to imagine that the AquArabia coaster will really cruise along. At 1,763 feet, Holiday World in Indiana boasts that its Mammoth takes the longest water coaster crown. (Apparently in error, Qiddiya contends that Junoon Drop will be the world’s longest water coaster.)
At 86 feet, Qiddiya is asserting that Speedy Jamezales will offer the longest drop of any body slide. Based on images of the attraction (see above), it doesn’t appear that the slide will be especially tall. The Rise of Icarus, which is opening this year at Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin Dells, will be 145 feet tall, which will make it the tallest body slide in the U.S. But that’s nothing compared to Icon Tower at Meryal, the 260-foot-tall water slide that recently opened in Qatar. Perhaps neither of those slides include straight drops as long as 86 feet, but rather wind around their towers. Still, I’m confused by Qiddiya’s world-record claim. Thrillagascar and Jungle Jammer, the dual speed slides at DreamWorks Water Park at the American Dream in New Jersey, feature 142-foot drops. Even the drops on Ko'okiri Body Plunge at Universal Orlando's Volcano Bay and Summit Plummet at Walt Disney World's Blizzard Beach exceed 86 feet at 125 feet and 120 feet, respectively. Qiddiya, you’ve got some splainin’ to do.
Other notable attractions will include Slithereel, the longest slide wheel in the world according to the Saudi park. (What’s a slide wheel, you ask? Check out Medusa’s Slidewheel to learn about one of water parkdom’s quirkiest rides.) At a height of 72 feet and a length of 761 feet, Jamal Joom will take the record as the tallest and longest mat racing slide, declares Qiddiya.
AquArabia will offer eight themed lands, including Camel Rock, which will feature the namesake animal carved into one of the dramatic cliffs that punctuate the park along with thrilling rides such as the multi-slide tower, Camel Racers. In all there will be 22 slides and attractions, including the world’s largest water play structure (according to Qiddiya), a huge wave pool, and a shoot-the-chutes splashdown ride.
It will also include attractions not typically found at water parks. For example, adventure seekers can head to Herding Grounds and engage in activities such as rock climbing and cliff diving. The land will also offer Raft Republic, an actual white water rafting experience, not the simulated version found aboard river rapids rides at theme parks. Arabian Peak will be for adults only and provide a quiet respite away from the tumult. And befitting the culture, AquArabia will offer a land that is exclusively for women and children.
Qiddiya will also feature an upscale Six Flags park, which is expected to open in 2025 as well. It will be packed with cutting-edge rides such as Falcon’s Flight, the world’s longest, tallest, and fastest coaster. Future plans call for Dragon Ball, a single-IP theme park devoted to the titular Japanese manga, anime TV series, and line of video games. Qiddiya says that there will eventually be 12 branded theme parks on the property. Among other offerings at the 128-square-mile resort complex will be a sports stadium, hotels, a racetrack, golf courses, retail shops, dining, and a city core with housing as well as commercial and industrial space.
AquArabia should be quite the water park. Do you think folks from around the world will make the trek to Saudi Arabia to experience it along with the Six Flags park and the resort’s other features, as the Kingdom hopes?
Nope. Visiting a park in the middle East is something I will never do due to their antiquated and hostile anti LGBTQ laws and rules. Why would I spend a penny in a country that would rather see me dead?
I’m in the hopeful category that I can visit as a gay man without feeling like I won’t be safe. Falcon’s Flight is the real bucket list reason to go for me but I’m sure i would enjoy all their attractions.