Are you a water park enthusiast or looking for an excellent summer adventure for your family? Although some people like pushing their limits when it comes to theme parks and thrills, you probably don’t want to end your experience with a trip to the hospital. Depending on your next destination, there may be a few dangerous slides or rides to avoid. We’ve compiled a list of a few of the most hazardous waterslides in the world to avoid on your summer trip.
1. Steamer at Calypso Water Park (Ontario, Canada)
Despite riders’ public pleas to close or modify this ride for safety, people continue to be injured on The Steamer. This ride looks thrilling from the outside, but many riders don’t realize the safety risks until they’re coming out the other side. People have suffered severe injuries from their inner tubes flipping over during the ride.
2. The Cyclone at World Waterpark (Canada)
Your mileage may vary, but plenty can go wrong on this ride. Why? There are about 360 feet of tubing to go through, during which you go through an almost vertical loop, and the floor will drop out from underneath you! Plus, you can get up to 40 MPH while going down this slide.
3. Verti-Go at Aqualandia (Benidorm, Spain)
This ride looks scary, and for some—it is! The ride is 108 feet tall and drops you through a trap door before you go down an extremely steep slide and fall into the water. Many people have had fun times on this ride, but a few riders have expressed terrifying experiences. One stated that the trap door did not open fully, leading to multiple areas of his body being crushed and scraped. At the bottom, he saw his blood pooling around him.
4. Insano at Fortaleza (Brazil)
Water and heights go well together, but what about 14 stories? Are you prepared for a 14-story high drop? This enormous water slide reports speeds of 65 MPH on the way down, so you should expect the biggest freefall you may have ever experienced if you dare to ride this one. I imagine that you’d be holding on for dear life!
5. Mammoth Water Coaster at Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari (Indiana)
It’s the world’s first water coaster that holds six riders and goes almost a third of a mile. What could go wrong? Although it uses similar technology to roller coasters, this ride’s speed alone could make for a terrifying ejection. It could only go one of two ways: you want to get back in line and ride it a second time, or you are grateful you made it out alive and never look back.
6. Riptide Rush at Hurricane Harbor (Rockford, Illinois)
If you like a combination of heights and steep water rides, this one might be a good fit for your next water park visit. You must climb seven stories to get to the top before your freefall, racing against a friend—or a foe. Many people have enjoyed this plunge, but you certainly shouldn’t make the climb before you’re aware of just how scary the ride down will be.
7. Scorpion’s Tail at Noah’s Ark Waterpark (Wisconsin Dells)
This intense ride is 400 feet long and ten stories high! You’ll also be going down this tube at high speeds, which can make for numerous injuries along the way. This loop-the-loop slide brings you to a near-full inversion! Forget roller coasters; now you can get your stomach-dropping thrills at the water park instead.
8. Kilimanjaro (Brazil)
If you take a ride on Kilimanjaro, you can brag about it later to all your friends. Why? This ride earned a Guinness World Record for being the tallest water slide in the world. It also earned a reputation for being terrifying, with speeds up to 100 KM per hour, a drop of 164 feet, and a height of 163 feet.
9. Summit Plummet at Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park (Orlando, Florida)
Blizzard Beach is one of my personal favorite water parks, but I’ve never been on this particular ride because drop-style rides scare me! This ride is not for the faint of heart. With a near-vertical drop, this is one of the fastest, tallest freefall water slides. You will drop 12 stories through a dark tunnel, following a high-speed 360-foot-long journey.
10. Jumeirah Sceirah at Wild Wadi Waterpark (United Arab Emirates)
You can challenge a friend for a ride down this 80 KM, 120-meter-tall slide. However, be prepared to take a hike up the 32-meter tower first. At the top, you may start to regret your decision, anxiety building as you wait your turn, get into the slide, and the floor opens beneath you. Even the water park itself stated this ride is “longer, scarier, and twice the fun” upon reopening.
