Water Slides

Cool and thrilling!

Some of the names of the water slides at The Aquaventure waterscape at Atlantis Bahamas conjure up frightening images. Because of a typical fear of the unknown, I found it difficult to get on any of the slides at first.

I kept telling myself that hundreds of people enjoy the slides and that nothing was going to happen to me. Then I force my chicken self to do it. Once I’ve done it one, however, I recover from the initial jitters and return repeatedly for more thrills and chills.

Check out the Mayan Temple Water Rides, where you can try the original Leap of Faith. For kids not tall enough (48 inches) to try the adult slides, try Splashers, where adults are not allowed!

The first time I climbed the stairs of Power Tower to try the newest slides, I asked some of the other people which ones were their favorites. One middle aged man, who said he was getting in some fun while his teenaged kids were still sleeping, said that all of the slides were exhilarating and he couldn’t choose just one.

Moments later, as he went down the water slide called The Drop, I heard his extended screams and told the operator, “No way! I’m not going on that!” Instead, I went up and got on The Surge.

After that, I met a group of youngsters who were going up to The Abyss so I went with them. The last of their group, a small boy of about 11, repeatedly told me how scared his was. I reasoned with him, saying that thousands of people had gone on the slide before him, and there was little danger. He nervously settled down, crossed his arms and pushed off: the operator and I stood listening to him screaming all the way down.

“Do you get tired of the screaming?” I asked.

“Nah. You get used to it,” he assured me.

The green light went on, so it was my turn. I settled down, determined not to scream—and I didn’t. I laughed a lot, though. I wonder how that sounded echoing in the tube.

As I was giggling as I came up from the murky, subterranean exit of The Abyss, the original operator from The Drop, who must have just finished her shift, recognized me and shook her head in disbelief. “You wouldn’t try The Drop and you went on The Abyss?”