Park located in Izmir, Turkey has gone through two expansions with great rides respectively in 2010 and 2011, each time by POLIN!

1. May 2012
The Official Magazine of the World Waterpark Association
Fantasy
A
Realized!At Aquafantasy in Turkey
Oasis in the Palms
New York’s Palm Island Indoor Waterpark
29 and fine!
Adventure World reveals exciting attractions
How-To: Maintenance
How to address cloudy pool water

2. A Fantasy
Realized!
There’s always room for expansion at Aquafantasy Waterpark in Izmir, Turkey
A
quafantasy Waterpark, lo- Two new slides for ‘10
cated in Izmir, Turkey, is a In 2010, the park celebrated its
part of the Aqua Fantasy 10th year by adding two unique wa-
Hotel and Spa built on 45 ter rides designed, manufactured
acres of land in the ancient and installed by Polin Waterparks
city of Selcuk. and Pool Systems. The slides are
Selcuk is along the coast of Ae- L-RTM (Light-Resin Transfer Mold-
gean Sea and has a healthy tourism ing) manufactured family rafting
trade, thanks to the city’s proximity slide and a wave slide.
to the sea and to ruins at Ephesus, The family rafting slide makes it
which contains the Temple of Arte- possible for family and friends to
mis, considered to be one of the sev- share the entertainment and excite-
en wonders of the modern world. ment together in circular inflatable
Aquafantasy Waterpark opened rafts holding two to four passengers.
in 2000 and has since gone through Since the waterpark experience is a
several expansions. It boasts a family experience, adding this type
number of waterslides and hosts a of ride was of crucial importance to
gaggle of birthday parties, concerts Aquafantasy Waterpark.
and other exciting programs. In fact, since its opening, the In addition to the strength of the shared experience, the
park has proven to be the No. 1 destination spot in the area. family rafting slide is also just plain fun. One can experi-
ence the joy of twists, turns and drops of the exciting slide
(32 World Waterpark Magazine® MAY 2012

3. Aquafantasy Waterpark has a
daily capacity of 5,000 people.
path. (Thanks to different slope angles, it also offers a more is committed to providing the best quality product and service,”
flexible design configuration.) said Sohret Pakis, marketing manager of Polin Waterparks.
Lastly, the ride itself is extremely functional and aestheti- Askin Altiparmak, general coordinator of Aqua Fanta-
cally pleasing. A conveyor system was adapted to launch sy Hotel and Spa, agreed. “The new slides enhanced the
the rafts, and since the rafts hold multiple customers, it’s a adrenaline and thrills for our guests. We are very satisfied
great addition as a high-capacity ride. The slide also invites with these additions.”
adventure seekers with its smooth and shiny finish on both
sides and its newly designed forms. And a third slide...
The second new ride is the park’s wave slide. The wave slide In 2011, developers of Aquafantasy Waterpark decided to
is one that offers uphill rides that offers high speeds and deliv- expand once more.
ers high-pitched squeals of delight. The wave slide’s steep en- The new ride, especially designed for the park, is located in
try provides riders with the thrill of “free falling” and a surge between the two extreme rides added the previous year. The
of adrenaline. After that, they are again propelled uphill to new ride with dark blue-turquoise color combinations is a fast,
experience another unforgettable path, this time in reverse, surprising, double-tube slide with double uphill portions. The
which takes them back and forth down the waterslide. height of the slide is 14.68 meters and its length is 131 meters.
Engineered for maximum safety, the wave slide at Aquafan- “The design of this third slide is a combination of our rafting
tasy delivers the highest level of ride performance. This ride is a slide and our uphill flying boats. This ride is also very unique
breathtaking experience, and it provides fun for all the guests. because it has two uphill portions. The great thing about this
“In continually evolving and renewing waterpark industry, design is that it uses the same tower as the previous slides, and
the world’s premiere parks, like Aquafantasy Waterpark, are af- it works without water jets. This lowers the operating costs of
ter the most attractive, exciting and appealing rides. And Polin the waterpark,” said Zeynep Canbaz, senior architect for Polin.
)Continued on page 35
33 )

4. Muharrem Atilla, manager for Aquafan-
tasy, adds, “The adrenaline is high; people
are so happy, and the lines are very long. it’s not a wax.
Due to the high amount of excitement
generated by the two slides we added the it’s quicker to
previous year, we were interested in add-
ing another slide. It is amazing to see that
once the riders leave the slide, their faces
apply & it
are glowing with joy!”
After the last three expansions by Polin,
lasts longer.
park developers declared their plan to ex-
pand once more in year 2013.
Origins of fun
The new ride will be the latest chapter
in a waterpark story that began in 1994,
when the idea of building a waterpark in
Turkey was still very new.
“We started by contacting the leading
waterpark suppliers and design companies
right after our first visit to the WWA Con-
vention in 1997,” said Altiparmak.
They decided to work with Jeff Henry
and the team of NBGS International from
Texas in the United States.
When the park opened in June of 2000, it
was the first themed waterpark in Turkey with
the largest kid’s pool that included a pirate
ship, submarine and many other water toys.
The park also had three serpentine
slides, gang slides and the heart pound-
ing “X-treme” and “Screamer” toboggans,
which are still unique in the country, ac-
cording to Altiparmak.
Two enclosed tube slides, a wave pool
and 300-meter long leisure river were
among the most important features.
Expansions continued almost yearly.
Among the highlights were:
The park’s food options include
barbeque grilled sandwiches, • 2001: “Proracer,” four-lane race ride pro-
burgers, pizza and ice cream. vided by Proslide Technology. It is the only
head-first race ride in Turkey.
• 2002: “The Space Bowl” by Polin. This was the start of the relationship with Polin
that continued into the current projects mentioned here.
• 2004: A 350-room club resort was constructed adjacent to the waterpark.
• 2008: An addition to the resort increased the room count to 868.
It was also in 2008 that Aquafantasy Waterpark was selected as one of the best
waterparks in the World by Tommy Lynch, the independent pool expert (www.
thesun.co.uk.)
A year later, the park won the first of many subsequent “Best of the Best Accomoda-
tion Award” in the world by TUİ Group in the “Splash” category.
Through it all, Aquafantasy Waterpark has maintained its focus designing and
Check ‘Em Out!
To view YouTube video of the new rides, click on the following links:
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“Family Rafting”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDfqgOOyEjY&feature=relmfu 35 )
Permacoatings Vertical Ad.GO.indd 1 12/16/11 8:33 AM

5. running a park with
safety in mind.
“Our aim was to
develop a water-
Suppliers Details
Consultants: NBGS Internationa
park which would l Aquafantasy Waterpark
be the industry Waterslides: NBGS International; Ephesus Beach ,Selcuk, Izmur,
showcase in the
ProSlide Technology; Polin Turkey
sense of high safety
Waterparks & Pool Systems www.aquafantasy.com
standards,” Altiparmak said. Wave pool: Murphys Waves Ltd. info@aquafantasy.com /
“We had to spend more in- Wave generator: Murphys Wav
es Ltd.
www.facebook.com/
tially by implementing the AquaFantasyAquapark
Raft/Tubes/Mats: Zebec;
U.S. waterpark health and CPI Amusements Owners: Buyuk Kolej Inc.
safety standarts that were
FEC equipment: NBGS Internat Admission prices:
not a requirement by Turk- ional Adult (10 & up): €22
ish building codes then. By Children’s interactive play structure Children (4-9): €13
:
taking that approach then, NBGS International Under three: Free
we achieved our goal today. Dates open: May 1 – October 30
Pool and/or deck coatings: Itali
“Over the years, Aquafanta- an Cotto
Capacity: 5,000
sy brought many ‘firsts’ to the Filtration equipment: Astral
Turkish waterpark sector with Number of employees:
Chemical: Johnson Diversey
the large-ride-time concepts, Year-round: 50
coupled with good manage- Chemical controllers: Johnson Seasonal: 220
Diversey
ment, restaurants, events, Admission system: Electra Aqu Clientele (percent local vs. tour
apark ist): Depends on years
sports and recreation and Systems but average is tourist 45 percent
vs. local 55 percent
unique family resort model in Food/Equipment: Algida (Car te
Future expansion plans: Reserved
area in the World
the world,” Altiparmak said. D’or); Hotel lot
Coca Cola; Carlsberg
To learn more about the Planned manufacturer: POLIN
park visit: http://www.aqua- Livesaving Equipment: Water Safe
ty Unique park programs: Staf f rete
Products ntion programs or
fantasy.com/aquapark/de- in-service programs: Lifeguard
Certification Courses,
fault.asp?lang=EN. Lifeguard Uniforms: Stern regular in-house training prog
rams.
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(36 World Waterpark Magazine® MAY 2012