Plenty of ways to make a splash

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 6/1/2015 (1562 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Aquaventure Waterpark is 141 acres of aquatic fun, free for guests staying at Atlantis Paradise Island. It’s the largest water park in the Caribbean, consisting of 20 million gallons of water, 11 swimming pools, eight high-speed waterslides, and a kids’ water fort, all connected by a lush tropical landscape.

It also has two floating rides; each one quite unlike the other. The Lazy River is a gentle quarter-mile stretch, offering tranquil drifting in an inner tube. The second is called The Current, and many get on this one thinking it’s the nice meandering river. However, many are quickly shocked and sometimes traumatized to discover it’s a mile-long thrill ride that propels you through extreme rapids, rolling waves, water surges, and darkened tunnels. Lucky for me I enjoyed it, even though I, too, got on the wrong one.

As for the waterslides, they were all pretty nerve-wracking. The most visually intimidating is called Leap of Faith, which offers a 60-foot almost-vertical open-air drop from the top of a picturesque Mayan Temple. It’s the most iconic and photographed slide in the park. Fortunately, it’s over so fast, you don’t even know what happened.

The scariest waterslide is The Abyss. It’s like Leap of Faith on steroids, and in the dark. It goes on and on, with two vertical drops, countless twists and turns, surges of water, you name it.

Terrifying is the best way to describe it, and I vaguely remember shouting out four-letter words on the way down before being spit out into an underground cavern. When I finally popped up from underwater, wondering what the hell just happened, the look on my face must have been hilarious judging from the way the attendant was laughing her head off. Glad I could entertain.

The most fun is the Serpent Slide, a five-storey corkscrew where you hurtle every which way through darkness on inner tubes before ending up leisurely floating through a clear tunnel in a shark-filled lagoon. If you like watching sharks (and apparently I do) you also get a fantastic view of them along with barracudas, sawfish, giant groupers, and other predators, from inside a 100-foot underwater tunnel that you can walk through.

For a hands-on aquatic experience, mingle with sea lions and dolphins at Dolphin Cay. The shallow water interaction lets you wade in waist-deep while adorable bottlenose dolphins come over and play with you. You can touch them, high-five their fins, even give them a kiss.

One creature you don’t want to get close to, but might enjoy snorkeling with, is the stingray. The ruins lagoon features replica artifacts from the lost city of Atlantis, and guests can snorkel alongside brilliantly coloured tropical fish, spiny lobsters, zebra sharks, and spotted stingrays. Since they tend to stay along the bottom, and snorkelers float up top, we got along just fine.   

There is so much to do at Atlantis beyond the aquatic. You can sit on, or stroll along, one of The Bahamas’ most beautiful beaches. Pamper yourself at Mandara Spa, get your workout at the fitness centre, or track some distance in the 25-metre lap pool. Play tennis, go rock climbing, or go shopping. Make pottery, take in a movie, dine in one of 21 restaurants, or imbibe at one of the many lounges and bars.

At the end of your day, take a stroll along the marina and get a glimpse of the massive yachts moored there. It’s fun to witness the luxurious world of yachting, and imagine for a moment what life would be like to live on one of those vessels.

Ahhh, a girl can dream…

RoseAnna Schick is an avid traveller and music lover who seeks inspiration wherever she goes. Email her at rascreative@yahoo.ca