World’s largest water ride to be big hit at theme park

On the way: Leow says the Vuvuzela is 70m long and 40m wide, making it more than twice the size of similar rides in Malaysia.

The world’s largest water ride, the Vuvuzela, is set to rock visitors at Sunway Lagoon once it is open to the public early next month.

The RM15mil water ride, which stands at the height of an 11-storey building, is the latest feature to be included in the theme park, which also boasts of an RM5mil Waterplexx 5D attraction at the Waters of Africa water park.

Assistant general manager Adron Leow said the attractions were being unveiled as part of the park’s 20th anniversary celebrations. He said the Waterplexx, the first of its kind in the country, had already become a big hit with visitors and the Vuvuzela was expected to add more excitement to the park.

“This is the world’s largest water ride and it will offer visitors a lot of excitement and memorable moments. “Visitors will be taken to the launching deck via elevator before sliding down on rafts from the height of an 11-storey building,” he said.

Leow said the Vuvuzela was 70m long and 40m wide, making it more than twice the size of similar rides in Malaysia. “Two types of rafts — with a capacity of four and six people respectively — will be made available for the ride.

“The actual ride is 152m long and can be likened to riding the rapids in a flooding river before visitors enter the world’s largest water funnel, which is 22m in diameter and sits 4m above the ground,” he said. Within the water funnel, Leow said riders would experience zero gravity as they shot up the other side of the funnel to reach the apex of the ride.

He said they would experience up to four similar oscillations within the funnel, more than any other ride in the world, before being shot back into the enclosed flume and finally coming to rest in the Vuvuzela’s splashdown pool.

“This is what makes the Vuvuzela the world’s largest and most awesome water ride. Other rides just cannot compare,” he said. He added that the Vuvuzela was also equipped with its own one-of-a-kind LED lighting display for night viewing.

“The water ride was designed and built by the White Water West Industries Ltd. of Canada,” he said.

-thestar online.

www.sunwaylagoon.com