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| World Waterpark | |
|---|---|
 The logo above was used from 2011-2018.  The Blue Thunder wave pool as seen from a platform of the web of staircases used to access the slides. Sun Runner (the yellow slide) and the former Raging Rapids (the blue slide) are also visible in the background. | |
| Slogan | Wet, wild and wonderful! |
| Location | West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Coordinates | 53°31′19″N 113°37′33″W / 53.52194°N 113.62583°W / 53.52194; -113.62583 |
| Owner | West Edmonton Mall Properties Inc. |
| Operated by | West Edmonton Mall Properties Inc. |
| General manager | Keenyn Bijou |
| Opened | April 15, 1986; 38 years ago (April 15, 1986) |
| Operating season | All year round |
| Visitors per annum | 560,000 |
| Area | 19,974 square metres (215,000 sq ft) |
| Pools | 3 pools |
| Water slides | 17 water slides |
| Children's areas | 2 children's areas |
| Website | Official website |
World Waterpark is a water park located within the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Opened to the public in 1986, it is the second largest indoor water park in North America after American Dream's DreamWorks Water Park which opened on October 1, 2020. It has a maximum capacity of 5,000 guests, an average air temperature of 31 °C (88 °F) and contains the world's largest indoor wave pool with a capacity of 12.5 million liters.
The highest slides in the park are Twister, Sky Screamer, and Cyclone, which are all 83 ft (25.3 m) high. The park has undergone many changes over the years having gained slides, lost slides, replaced slides, and added completely new attractions.
In 2020, World Waterpark temporarily closed for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. While some parts did temporarily close, the whole park did not close down until mid-March 2020. It reopened on July 18, 2020.
Blue Thunder wave pool
This wave pool has four active wave bays, each with 2 panels operated by a 1,100-kilowatt (1,500 hp) hydraulic system (8 total active panels). For many years, the 4 panels in the two outer wave bays have been disabled, apparently due to the waves being far too intense, resulting in injuries; guests were being thrown into each other when all 12 panels were operating, as they were in the 1980s.
Waves are generated (in 10 minutes on, 5 minutes off sessions) of approximately 1.2 to 1.5 m (3.9 to 4.9 ft), utilizing only the 8 active wave panels. It is arguably the most popular attraction in the park, as many swimmers (most with inner tubes) can be found bobbing in the water. The start of every session is marked with a loud air horn blast, warning swimmers to be ready for a wave to flip them over. This air horn also sounds when the park opens or closes.
Most evenings, after regular park business hours, the Blue Thunder wave pool is used by clubs for surfing, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding. For these activities, the waves are often programmed for increased intensity and continuous operation.
In September 2018, the water park underwent a $2.5 million renovation including repainting the wave pool, renovated cabanas, additional bathrooms, new beach area flooring, and upgraded signage.
Slides
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Beginner slides
| Slide | Year Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Caribbean Cove | 2008 | A large play structure that was constructed in 2008 to replace The Little Caribbean. Caribbean Cove contains 3 slides, pipes, pull ropes, water buckets, rope walks, and a 1200-liter bucket that dumps water down the front of the structure every 2 minutes. The water level is less than a few centimeters deep. |
| Caribbean Cruiser | Unknown | A beginner slide designed for small children that drops into a 1' splashdown pool. It also has a small platform at the bottom which slows riders down before depositing them in the pool. |
| Dolphin Kiddie Pool | Unknown | A small, dolphin-themed play park for children. There are various water toys, a water screw, a low triple chute, and a playground-type slide with dolphin scenery. |
| Sun Runner | Unknown | A yellow slide designed for rafts that can support a maximum of three people. It is one of the only slides in the park that does not have a splashdown pool (it has a padded trough instead). The Sun Runner's name is from the Edmonton Sun, a local newspaper that currently holds the naming rights. Sun Runner is the only slide that has a sponsor's name on it. It is unknown if the sponsorship is still ongoing as of this year. |
| Splash Pad | Unknown | A zero-depth water playground. |
Intermediate slides
| Slide | Year Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Slideboarding | 2016 | An interactive waterslide that integrates a video game into the slide. Players match the colored lights to the buttons on slide boards to score points and unlock new levels. The game has been since phased out (with no music) and standard inner tubes are used instead. However, the colored lights are still on the slide. |
| Double Trouble | 2023 | As a replacement for the Corkscrew, it contains 2 slides with winding corners and transparent and color-changing sections, although is mainly orange and blue. It stands 50 ft tall and 450 ft long. |
Advanced slides
| Slide | Year Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Twister | 1986 | Twister is one of the 3 highest slides in the park and one of the few slides left since the official park opening that still retains its original form and color. The brown aged paint on the slide has slowly been removed in recent years, along with Howler. |
| Howler | 1986 | A dark slide that is around three-quarters enclosed, which drops riders into a 1.2-metre-deep (3.9 ft) splashdown pool. The left chute was shut down for over a decade due to safety concerns and was eventually removed and replaced by Slideboarding. |
| Blue Bullet | Original: 1986, Current: 2008 | A blue slide that offers different experiences on both sides. The left side has translucent areas that allow some light to come in, while the right side is completely dark. The original Blue Bullet was partially enclosed but was removed from the park in July 2008 due to a large number of injuries sustained by riders. However, the slide reopened later in November 2008, having been removed and replaced with a new slide and maintaining the same name. |
Extreme slides
| Slide | Year Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Nessie's Revenge | 1986 | A very fast purple slide with 3 bumps and no curves, similar in design to an amusement park slide. Before the park's renovations, Nessie's Revenge had a light brownish-tan color. However, during the park's large makeover in the early 2000s, Nessie's Revenge was painted purple, and in 2021 the slide was given a lighter purple paint. |
| Tropical Typhoon | 2003 | A low and quick slide where riders slide down a short tunnel and into a large bowl in which they slide around and around before dropping out of a hole in the middle into 3.0 metres (10 ft) of water. Tropical Typhoon is often nicknamed the "Toilet Bowl." It is the replacement of one of the park's first slides called "Cannonball". |
| Sky Screamer Extreme | 2011 | Modelled similarly to the original Sky Screamer but begins with a vertical trap door at the top. One is an open yellow vertical slide, while the other is an enclosed blue one. Unlike the original Sky Screamer, both slides end in a splashdown chute similar to Blue Bullet. This slide is an Aquadrop by WhiteWater West |
| Cyclone | 2011 | A purple/pink colored slide built by WhiteWater West, featuring an aqualoop. |
Decommissioned slides
(1986 to 2014)
| Slide | Year Opened | Year Closed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raging Rapids | Original: 1986, Revised: 2003 | Original: 2002, Revised: 2016 | A lazy river ride with two routes. Originally much longer, during the Waterpark's overhaul in 2004, the ride was reshaped into its final incarnation and painted over. The slide was permanently closed for future development for a long time. Due to delays, it was closed permanently in 2016. |
| Thunderbolt (former name: White Lightning) |
1986 | 2014 | Riders went down one of a pair of steep slides on a special sled. The sleds flew into a long pool of water that gradually got shallower. Removed for installation of Flowrider. |
| Geronimo's Jump | 1986 | Unknown | A triple slide with straight blue chutes which would send sliders freefalling into a 3.0-metre-deep (10 ft) splashdown pool. Removed for the area to be converted to Tap Works (now Splash Pad). |
| The Little Caribbean | 1986 | 2007 | Another play area with three small slides and a bumper boats area. Along with Tap Works, The Little Caribbean was permanently closed to make way for the Caribbean Cove in 2008. |
| Sky Screamer (original slide) | 1986 | 2011 | A steep, bright red slide. It was painted red in 2004, before being removed in February 2012 to make way for the drop-box Sky Screamer slides. |
| Tap Works | Unknown | 2007 | A kids' play park, revolving around taps and pipes. It contained some adjusting wheels for kids to change the flow of water, as well as several high-powered water guns. It is now a Splash Pad. |
| Cannon Ball Run | 1986 | 2002 | A twirly Chute colored olive green-like Corkscrew, and in its final years blue like Blue Bullet; was removed and in its place was put Tropical Typhoon. |
| Hurricane | 2012 | 2018 | An inflatable ball within a ball that contains water and rotates. It was removed to make way for additional Cabanas. |
| Center of Gravity | 1991 | 2013 | Built in 1990 and opened in 1991 as the Wild Gravity Bungee. It was operated by a separate company until 1998 when the mall bought the lease and it was renamed the Blue Thunder Bungee. The bungee tower changed owners again in 2005, and the name was changed for the final time to Center of Gravity. The attraction permanently closed on April 7, 2013. The bungee tower still stands, but the equipment has long since been sold off. |
| Corkscrew | 1986 | 2022 | A completely enclosed slide that twirls and twists into a 1.2-metre-deep (3.9 ft) pool of water. The slides were repainted entirely green in the 2018 renovation. Permanently closed on November 14, 2022, and removed that same week due to the "end of life" expectancy for the slide. |
| Flowrider | 2015 | 2024 | Formally known as Tsunami, FlowRider is a surf simulator for flowboarding and bodyboarding. Opened in January 2015 and is now officially closed as of March 2024. Surfside Pickleball was put in its place. |
Additional attractions
| Ride | Description |
|---|---|
| Surfside Pickleball | Pickleball table introduced in 2024 to replace the Flowrider, available to rent. |
| Sky Flyer Zipline | World's largest permanent indoor zipline, at 140 metres (450 ft) length. Linetech ziplines start at the southwest corner of the waterpark and traverse the Blue Thunder wave pool to just past the Dolphin-themed children's area. Formerly called King Swing Zip Line and Linetech Ziplines. |
Other information
World Waterpark also has two hot tubs: one double and one single.
Concessions:
- Beachview Bar/Snacks
- Piña Colada Bar
- Sharky's Grill (formerly Coconut Grove)
- Tiki Snacks (formerly Tiki Dog)
Former:
- Hot Dog Hut
- BeaverTails (BeaverTails has since returned to WEM, although not in the World Waterpark)
Tubes can be rented at a cost, while PFDs (lifejackets) can be borrowed for no charge at Sharky's Supply Shack.
Gallery
-
Sky Screamer and Nessie's Revenge - side view
-
Blue Bullet before renovations
-
L-R Thunderbolt, Nessie's Revenge, Sky Screamer
-
Blue Thunder Wave Pool -6FT Waves
-
Sky Screamer
See also
References
- "Christopher Mortensen". Linkedin. Linkedin. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- "WEM park ranked No. 2 in world". Edmonton Journal. November 28, 2009. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- Otárola, Miguel (October 31, 2018). "Bloomington floats plans for MOA water park as no risk to taxpayers". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- "Edmonton's Mall Is More Than Big". Chicago Tribune. Sun Sentinel. February 22, 1987. Archived from the original on May 19, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- "World Waterpark Info". WEM. West Edmonton Mall.
- "World Waterpark Hours & Rates Calendar". WEB. West Edmonton Mall. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- Lindner, Linda (February 28, 2020). "North America's largest indoor water park set to open March 19, and it's in New Jersey!". NJBiz. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- Anzidei, Melanie (March 13, 2020). "American Dream to close due to coronavirus, will delay opening of waterpark". NorthJersey.com. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- Hinson, Tamara (July 31, 2013). "12 of the world's best water parks". CNN. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- "Where Can I Find the Largest Indoor Water Park?". The 6th Floor. The New York Times. July 26, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- NJ.com, Allison Pries | NJ Advance Media for (2020-09-03). "American Dream announces reopening date, but it's far away". nj. Retrieved 2020-09-08.
- "Big Fun Brochure" (PDF). West Edmonton Mall. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 19, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- Lafortune, Wes (April 1, 2006). "An Edmonton beach vacation". Vancouver Sun. Canada.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-19. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- "One Of the Worlds Largest Indoor Waterparks Is Reopening in Canada". Retrieved April 21, 2023.
- "West Edmonton Mall waterpark undergoes $2.5 million renovation". Edmonton Journal. September 21, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- "What Happened to the World's Tallest Indoor Bungee Jump at West Edmonton Mall? - Best Edmonton Mall". Best Edmonton Mall. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- "Corkscrew". bestedmontonmall.com. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- Miroslava (January 30, 2015). "New WEM attraction lets boarders ride an 'endless wave'". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- "Linetech Ziplines | Worlds Largest Permanent Indoor Zipline, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Alberta Canada". Archived from the original on 2015-01-24. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
