Aquatica is located across the street from SeaWorld Orlando on International Drive. The 59-acre water park combines animal, bird and dolphin encounters, lagoon, river and racing rides with wide, sandy beaches. The waterpark is designed to minimize line-ups and waiting times at rides and restaurants.
Aquatica immerses visitors in a South Seas islands landscape. Clear blue rivers float inner-tube riders through hidden grottos and under cool waterfalls. Lush foliage and colorful blossoms enhance rocks, which tower above the waterpark.
Chilean monkey puzzle trees, Brazilian pineapple guava trees and Australian flowering silk oaks are three of more than 2,500 different varieties of trees in Aquatica.
Beach
More than three million pounds of sand cover the 83,000-square foot beach. Visitors have access to beachside waiter service and personal cabanas, shaded by towering trees.
Whimsical animal park icons, inspired by New Zealand's Maori culture, decorate interactive play fountains, carved totem poles and colorful buildings. Macaws, kookaburras, anteaters, iguanas and other live animals live in Aquatica.
Water park
Aquatica boasts 36 water slides, six rivers and lagoons, carrying 3.3 million gallons of water, for swimming, floating and splashing.
The major attraction in the waterpark is a water ride, in which riders zoom through 300 feet of clear tubing in a blue lagoon, where black-and-white Commerson's dolphins swim.
Four to five feet long, Commerson's dolphins weigh about 100 pounds and swim at speeds of seven to eight mph. Swimming alone, or in groups of two to three animals, these cetaceans are normally found in the Straits of Magellan, around the Falkland Islands and in the Southern Indian Ocean Kerguelen Islands.
Commerson's dolphins usually eat between eight and 13 pounds of shrimp, squid and bottom-dwelling fish daily.
Rides
Aquatica offers two types of rides: high-speed thrill rides in racing tunnels, on rafts and rivers and leisurely rides in pools, lagoons and lazy rivers.
The only side-by-side wave pools in the world, hold 860,000 gallons of water combined and operate separately or together. One of the huge wave lagoons has crashing surf and five-foot waves, while the other lagoon has calm swells. Together, the double pools offer nine varieties of waves, ranging from one giant wave to opposing waves.
Meandering rivers offer two styles of rides. A quiet river carries guests past serene waterfalls and tropical birds into a 10,000-gallon cave, with a myriad of exotic fish and views of the Commerson's dolphins. Nearby, an adventure river propels riders over 1,500 feet of thrilling rapids, past gushing geysers at three to four times the speed of a lazy river ride.
For additional excitement, Aquatica offers eight lanes of racing slides, which jet riders down a 300-foot slide, through tunnels and around a full circle. Riders experience weightlessness as they raft down a six-story, 250-foot triple-drop ride.
Double inner tubes bring rafters through water curtains and down five stories of drops, twists and tunnels. Twin bowls spin riders around before spilling them into a tunnel leading to a pool below.
Kids activities
Children blast water cannons and play in a brilliant rain fortress overlooking a 15,000-square foot pool. Toddlers slide down tubes, with their parents, on specially created rafts in a separate 79,000-gallon kid's pool. Parents and kids can slide together down six-stories of turns and tunnels on a family ride.
Aquatica complements SeaWorld and Discovery Cove. Together, they offer visitors to Orlando, Florida, a trio of interactive water-themed parks.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Aquatica: www.aquaticabyseaworld.com
