With summer being upon us, water slides are popular this time of year. For some people, the larger the water slide means the bigger the thrill. The following world’s tallest water slides definitely aren’t for the faint at heart.
Deep Water Dive- Kentucky
This water slide is part of the relaunch of Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Bay. It’s 121 feet high and has a 12-story drop. This water slide takes riders down so fast that’s it’s actually considered a speed slide. Those who are brave enough to go down it need to hang on since it has an impressive 70-degree slope.
Spacemaker- Italy
Are you ready for a water slide that will go up to 62 mph? If so, then head over to Italy to go on the Spacemaker water slide at Aqualandia. Riders will get in a three or four person raft and make a quick, 3 second decent down to the bottom. In order to get to the top of this 132 foot slide, riders will have to climb up an almost 160 step spiral staircase. Even though the climb is long and the ride is short, many riders think that it’s worth it for this thrilling water slide.
Insano- Brazil
One of the most death defying attractions in Brazil is the Insano. This 5 second, speed water slide goes 65 mph. Riders have to climb about 14 stories in order to plummet down the water slide to a crowd that anxiously awaits them.
Kilimanjaro- Brazil
The Insano isn’t the only water slide that Brazilians love. Kilimanjaro is the country’s famous 60 mph waterslide that’s 164 feet tall. The ride is so massive in fact that part of a hill had to be excavated to accommodate it. Riders have to climb up 234 steps to get on it and it’s estimated that about 1 in 20 people have to climb back down because they aren’t brave enough to get on the ride. This ride is the second tallest water slide in the world.
Verrückt- Kansas
The tallest water slide in the world, Verrückt, is scheduled to open soon. This 168 feet and 7 inches tall water slide will be the newest addition to the Schlitterbahn Waterpark. Initially scheduled to open in May of this year, there have been several delays due to technical issues. The video below is of the first test run of the slide with staff onboard. No news on a new opening date.
If you are looking to do something fun and escape from the summer heat then one of the water slides mentioned above would be the perfect fit.
If cruising is more your style, there are lots of water slides available at sea as well. Currently the fastest drop slide at sea is called Free Fall, and can be found onboard the new NCL Getaway cruise ship. The new NCL Escape coming out in 2015, will also have the same water slide. NCL also offer the “whip” where two guests can race down identical side by side slides. Our favorite slide is from Disney Cruise line. The slide is called Disney’s AquaDuck (pictured to the right,) which offers a 4 deck drop, and takes twists and turns along 765 ft, part of which extends off the edge of the ship where you can look down straight into the ocean.
