Sandcastle Water Park (Blackpool)

This article is about the waterpark in Blackpool, England. For the waterpark in Pittsburgh, USA, see Sandcastle Waterpark.
Sandcastle Water Park
Location Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Coordinates 53°47′39″N 3°03′27″W / 53.7941°N 3.0574°W / 53.7941; -3.0574Coordinates: 53°47′39″N 3°03′27″W / 53.7941°N 3.0574°W / 53.7941; -3.0574
Owner Blackpool Council
Opened 1986
Water slides 18 water slides
Website www.sandcastle-waterpark.co.uk

Sandcastle Waterpark is an indoor waterpark in an 84-degree tropical climate located at South Beach in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It opened in 1986 on the site of the former South Shore Open Air Baths as a joint public/private partnership. Sandcastle Waterpark is the largest indoor waterpark in the United Kingdom with more than 18 slides and attractions.

Sandcastle Waterpark is also home to white knuckle slides like the world's longest indoor roller-coaster water slide, the Master Blaster,[1] and the first vertical indoor drop slide Sidewinder.

Family attractions include the Ushi Gushi Action River, the Shimmering Shallows and the Typhoon Lagoon Wavepool.

For younger visitors there is a Caribbean Storm Treehouse which is an interactive adventure play area with a giant tipping coconut that cascades 600 gallons of water over unsuspecting guests. There are also a range of water cannons, mini slides and jets within the HMS Thundersplash and Fort Riptide areas.

Operation of the centre was taken back into Blackpool Council ownership in 2003. Reductions in costs and increases in visitor numbers and spending have since followed. A significant investment in new attractions costing £5.5M was also agreed, which was delivered in two phases, with the second opening in 2006 on time and on budget.

In 2012, the water park opened two new Aztec theme slides, one with a chamber called 'Aztec Falls', and a toboggan like slide called 'Montazooma.'[2][3]

In 2013, the Sea Breeze Spa opened. The Sea Breeze Spa is for age 18+ and has 7 different facilities including a sauna, steam room, ice feature, heated loungers, aromatherapy room, salt inhalation room and foot spas.

In 2015 Sandcastle Waterpark introduced a new VIP Tiki Cabana. This is available to hire for the day. It is a private area overlooking the waterpark, which features a hot-tub, dining area, lounge area with flat-screen TV, stocked fridge and safe.

In 2016, Sandcastle Waterpark celebrated its 30th birthday with a monthlong series of events involving a wide variety of local charities and community groups. On 26 June 2016 as part of these celebrations, Sandcastle Waterpark regained the world record for most riders down a waterslide in one hour. The previous record had stood to a Dutch Waterpark at 396 riders. Sandcastle Waterpark smashed this record with a new official world record of 529 riders.[4]

Slides and attractions

Key

Colour Target Audience
Thrill ride
Family ride

Slides and attractions

# Name Opened Description
1 Tsunami
2004
 tsunami was the first water slide in the park. It is the world's longest indoor rollercoaster waterslide.
2 Sidewinder
2009
 A unique combination wet and dry raft ride by Aqua Leisure that propels riders from side to side within the Half-pipe in a single or double person raft. Water spray jets provide a frictionless surface on the large U-shaped slide as rafts are channelled to the bottom
3 The swirl
2012
 A water slide which starts from the rooftop and plunges head first through darkness into the swirling chasm before a thrilling corkscrew exit.
4 Montazooma
2014
 A water slide with 360-degree loops and back to back turns which starts from the rooftop and races from beginning to end in just 20 seconds!
5 Ushi-Gushi River Creek
An action Lazy river running anticlockwise.
6 Treetops Water Chutes
A multi-lane racer slide - a particular favourite with families
7 Thunder Falls
Two 300 ft waterslides - These are the original slides, opened in 1986. Family favourites!
8 Fort Riptide
A rock based fort stocked with water cannons and slides
9 HMS Thundersplash
A marooned galleon decked with waterjets and cannons
10 Caribbean Storm Treehouse
Interactive adventure play area and 600 gallon giant tipping coconut
11 Treetops Water Chutes
Family friendly water chutes where 3 riders can race together
12 Dueling monsters
Two fast closed tubes; one called slime (green) and the other called Centipede (red). On 26 June 2016 the red slide was the slide used in the successful world record attempt for most people down a waterslide in one hour with 529 riders, comfortable beating the previous record of 396 people.
13 Lagoon Bay
A shallow water area with hidden water cannons
14 Shimmerin Shallows
A sleepy lagoon haven for little mermaids and pint sized pirates
15 Typhoon Lagoon
A Wave pool which replicates the movement of the ocean
16 Coconut Bay
A seating area used for Dicky people.
17 Sea Breeze Spa
Sauna, Steam Room, Aromatherapy Room, Salt Inhalation Room, Heated Foot Spa's, Heated Tile Loungers.
18 Barrel Blast
Push the plunger to empty the buckets over the unsuspecting people below in the Ushi Gushi Action River.
19 Monkey Island
A themed seating area used for Birthday Parties and functions
20 Super Soaker
The UK's biggest water cannon
21 Spider
2017
 The UK's forst ever torpedo slide. You will go through a 360 degree bent loop.

Other attractions

Park awards

World records

In popular culture

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sandcastle-waterpark.co.uk/graphic/slides/MasterBlaster/
  2. ↑ http://www.sandcastle-waterpark.co.uk/graphic/slides/AztecFalls/
  3. ↑ http://www.sandcastle-waterpark.co.uk/graphic/slides/Montazooma/
  4. ↑ http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-people-down-a-water-slide-in-one-hour/
  5. ↑ "Fylde coast triumphs at tourism awards". Blackpool Gazette. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "Fylde coast triumphs at tourism awards". Blackpool Gazette. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "World record broken at Sandcastle". Blackpool Gazette. 18 February 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2012.

External links

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