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Aquaventure is the resident water park at Atlantis, The Palm hotel on the man made island of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.
The park opened in 2008 with the rest of the Atlantis resort and took the title of Dubai’s biggest water park.
Not content with already taking the title, the park was refurbished in August 2013, adding the Tower of Poseidon, a huge tower filled with slides and attractions to match the already existing Tower of Neptune, both based on the Greek and Roman versions of the God of the Sea, respectively.
The tower of Neptune was the first of the two towers and has been a fixture of the park since the opening day.
The main feature of Neptune is the Leap of Faith, a 9 story high water slide that virtually drops riders straight down a 61 metre track.
The rider then slides into a section of clear tube, which is surrounded by sharks and rays.
A very similar clear tube is used in the Shark Attack slide. This water slide crosses the shark tank. The water moves along slowly to allow riders to get a closer look at the exotic marine life.
The Tower of Neptune features a host of smaller slides that are themselves a marvel of water park engineering.
The Tower of Poseidon is the newer, bigger tower that aims to blow Neptune out of the water.
The towers were actually named the opposite way round to their classical namesakes; it was the Greek God Poseidon who came first and then the Roman’s version of Neptune was intended to be the ‘new and improved’ water god.
Poseidon manages to mix two of its signature slides into yet another record for the park.
The gigantic Aquaconda is the world’s largest waterslide at 9.2 metres wide. The slide is a fun mix on the classic rubber ring slide as the rings allow multiple people to ride in at once whilst seated in a circle, facing each other.
The other slide is Slitherine, labelled as “the world’s first dual water slide within a slide.” This means that Slitherine features two slides next to each other so that two riders can race.
The truly impressive part is the fact that Slitherine weaves its way around Aquaconda, allowing riders on both slides brief glimpses of each other. This set up is incredibly ingenious for slides that are set around a tower structure.
One of the other slides based around Poseidon is Zoomerango, another that features the multiple person tubes that are present on Aquaconda.
Zoomerango seems to be similar to a skating half pipe, with the raft being dropped down one large slide before using the momentum to carry itself up the other side before coming back down again.
Zoomerango is supposed to be one of the most extreme slides at Aquaventure when it comes to physical force as the vertical drops clash with the feelings of rising on the other side. It is even said that for a short second at the peak there is a feeling of weightlessness!
The last slide, Poseidon’s Revenge is designed as a direct competitor to Neptune’s Leap of Faith; the concept of the vertical drop slide is taken to the extreme.
Instead of a standard slide entrance, Poseidon’s Revenge features a chamber that riders stand in and wait until the floor drops out, when they will fall at speeds reaching 60km/h. This is enough to propel them upside down later on in the ride. All of this is topped off with a feature borrowed from Slitherine, side by side riding, allowing riders to see the terror on the other person’s face whilst waiting for the drop.
Although not technically a part of Aquaventure, the Lost Chambers Aquarium is part of Atlantis, The Palm, the same hotel that houses Aquaventure and visitors can buy cheaper combination tickets that allow access to both attractions.
The aquarium strongly follows the Atlantis theme and is decorated as though it truly were the mythic lost technological city. The theme actually runs so deep in the aquarium that during the complimentary hourly tours they insist that Atlantis was a real city, despite any proof towards the city being a myth.
The Lost Chambers at Atlantis, The Palm offers a large variety of activities in its walls that go far further than the typical aquarium. As well as looking, it is possible to interact with the over 65,000 marine animals that call the aquarium their home.
Experienced divers can participate in the Predator Dive in the Ambassador Lagoon where they will be able to hand-feed several species of sharks and rays.
There are options for those with no diving experience too, from snorkelling in the tanks with the more serene animals to taking a shark safari, which features specialised helmets that allow guests to travel around the shark tank, able to breathe and see clearly with no diving training.
There are many other attractions at Aquaventure Water Park that are not part of either of the main two towers or that even have anything to do with water at all. These range from beaches to river rides and even more.
One of the most apparent features of the park is the massive network of connecting river rides that connect the park. These vary in speed from leisurely laid back streams to rapid currents that race you around the park at break neck speeds. It is almost possible to travel the entire length of the park within this system of river rides; they even connect the Tower of Neptune and Tower of Poseidon together.
Aquaventure is also home to one of the greatest man made beaches on the planet. This amazing beach is made from tons of imported white sand and is exclusive to guests of Aquaventure Waterpark. There is even a view the breath-taking marvel of engineering, The Burj Al Arab from the beach.
Technically a part of the Tower of Poseidon, the Atlantean Flyers is a the longest permanent zip wire in the Middle East and the only one in the world that starts on a water slide tower. This is an amazing opportunity to experience the speed and thrills of Aquaventure Water Park from 20 metres in the sky whilst still remaining dry. Guests are advised to book early for the Atlantean Flyers however as only 300 people are permitted to ride the zip wire per day.
If the Aquaventure water park sounds exciting, why not take a look at our Dubai package holidays staying at The Atlantis the Palm Hotel?
