Funnel of splashing fun at i-City

Way up there: Riders on the Tornado will be sliding on a tube raft down a steep 160-foot water tunnel, connected to a seven-storey, 45 degree-incline funnel.

The much-awaited Tornado ride at the state-of-the-art WaterWorld in i-City, Shah Alam opens today, coinciding with the year-end school holidays. “We are happy to bring the Tornado ride to Malaysia and South-East Asia as part of our RM25mil investment in WaterWorld,” said i-Berhad director Monica Ong.

The Tornado is a 28-second thrill ride where riders in groups of four will be sliding on a tube raft down a steep 160-foot water tunnel. The tunnel is connected to a seven-storey tall funnel inclined at 45 degrees. Riders will experience four to six oscillations in the funnel, which has a 60-foot diameter opening that reduces gradually to a 10-foot diameter at the bottom before splashing onto the 1,350 sq ft landing pool.

Ong said the ride was first made famous in Canada, nine years ago for its exhilarating “weightless” experience. “You will not be alone when riding it as you will be accompanied by three other friends and before you know it, it is all over in less than a minute,” she said when taking members of the media on a tour around the park.

Good fun: Visitors standing next to the Tornado’s giant funnel.

Workers were seen busy putting the final touches to the new attraction at the 4.05ha (10-acre) water theme park. Ong said to date, i-City has invested some RM50mil to create a 25-acre theme park within the i-City development that has four precincts - City of Digital Lights, SnoWalk, WaterWorld and FunWorld.

“WaterWorld is the final building block under our Tourism component since we started some three years back,” said Ong adding that the park is a family-oriented one with rides to cater to all ages. Besides the Tornado ride, patrons can also hop onto a raft and try the River Adventure ride, floating down a river which runs along the water pool into a cave-like area.

While those who want to have fun in the sun can swim and ride the waves at their Wave Pool and watch videos played from the large LED screen. The senior crowd she said who seek a place to relax can opt for their Giant Jacuzzi pool and the young at heart can slide down the Rainbow Racer Slides.

The park will be operating on a cashless system where patrons will be given a RFID (Radio Frequency Identity) wristband each with pre-loaded credit to purchase food and beverages or pay for a locker. “We do not want our patrons to bring their money around in the park as it is a wet park,” she said.

Cameras have also been placed at the various attractions to capture images of patrons on the ride. Visitors can then purchase hard copies at counters within the park before they leave.

Tickets is priced at RM50 per person, however to celebrate the parks opening visitors will enjoy 50% discount today. From tomorrow until Nov 24, visitors will receive 40% off the normal rate for pre-purchased tickets. WaterWorld operates from 10am to 7pm on weekdays and from 9am to 7pm on weekends and public holidays.

-thestar online.