Holiday World to Build World's Largest Enclosed Waterslide

Santa Claus, IN -- Holiday World & Splashin' Safari will build the world's largest enclosed waterslide for the 2002 season.

"We're calling this huge new ride ZOOMbabwe (pronounced zoom-BOB-way)," says the parks' president and general manager, Will Koch. "It's the largest expansion project ever for Splashin' Safari water park."

ZOOMbabwe, a gigantic purple enclosed waterslide, will be 102-feet tall, making it the largest ride of its kind in the world. It will be 887-feet long, ranging in diameter from nine to 12 feet.

"Plus," says Koch, "ZOOMbabwe will be completely in the dark. Twisting and turning and dropping more than 10 stories in utter darkness will be an amazing thrill. This is a water ride families can enjoy together."

ZOOMbabwe rafts will hold up to five family members each, with hourly capacity expected to top 1,000 riders. Covering four acres, the new ride will increase the size of Indiana's largest water park to 22 acres.

Koch says the $1.7 million ZOOMbabwe will be packed with surprises. "Our top-ranked roller coasters are full of twists and turns and unexpected features. We wanted to incorporate as many of these surprises – plus total darkness – as possible into ZOOMbabwe's design."

The park plans to hire an additional 50 seasonal employees for next season; Koch expects the new ride to increase the parks' attendance by 10 percent in 2002.

Holiday World will be open this weekend, October 6 and 7, and will then be closed for the season. Season Passes for 2002 are now on sale, with the deepest discounts expiring after October 7. For more information, visit the parks' website at holidayworld.com.

ZOOMbabwe Fact Sheet

ZOOMbabwe (zoom-BOB-way) is the World's Largest Enclosed Waterslide. An in-the-dark thrill ride, ZOOMbabwe will transport families down 10 stories with steep drops, fast back-and-forth action, banked curves, and a huge splash back into the sunlight. Nearly 900-feet long, the purple ZOOMbabwe will provide twists and turns, sudden drops, and the thrill of riding in complete darkness.

ZOOMbabwe riders will ascend the slide tower, winding into the woods where The Legend roller coaster soars. Once launched, rafts (each containing 4-5 persons) will plunge into total darkness. The purple tube is 9 feet in diameter, with the exception of three sections, where the width of the ride augments to 12 feet. There are also six "accelerators" or steep drops that will add additional speed and thrill to the ride.

Layout: Click Here to View Layout

Height: 102-feet

Length: 887-feet

Width: The diameter of ZOOMbabwe ranges from 9 to 12 feet

Ride Time: 50 seconds from launch to splashdown

Theme: In keeping with Splashin' Safari's African/Californian theming, ZOOMbabwe will make use of colorful African masks and a variety of safari sound effects

Rafts: 24 rafts, each 6-feet wide, with a capacity of 4-5 guests each.

Capacity: 1,000 Guests per hour

Size: ZOOMbabwe will add four acres to Splashin' Safari, bringing the water park's size to 22 acres.

Pool Depth: The water depth of the splash pool ranges from zero to four feet.

Height Limit: Minimum 36 inches; children 36-to-48 inches tall must ride with an adult.

Investment: $1.7 million (the largest investment in Splashin' Safari's history)

Designer: ProSlide Technologies, Inc., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada