At Aquafantasy in Turkey

May 2012
The Official Magazine of the World Waterpark Association
Fantasy
Realized!
A
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
A Fantasy
Realized!
There’s always room for expansion at Aquafantasy Waterpark in Izmir, Turkey
A
quafantasy Waterpark, located in Izmir, Turkey, is a
part of the Aqua Fantasy
Hotel and Spa built on 45
acres of land in the ancient
city of Selcuk.
Selcuk is along the coast of Aegean Sea and has a healthy tourism
trade, thanks to the city’s proximity
to the sea and to ruins at Ephesus,
which contains the Temple of Artemis, considered to be one of the seven wonders of the modern world.
Aquafantasy Waterpark opened
in 2000 and has since gone through
several expansions. It boasts a
number of waterslides and hosts a
gaggle of birthday parties, concerts
and other exciting programs. In fact, since its opening, the
park has proven to be the No. 1 destination spot in the area.
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World Waterpark Magazine® MAY 2012
Two new slides for ‘10
In 2010, the park celebrated its
10th year by adding two unique water rides designed, manufactured
and installed by Polin Waterparks
and Pool Systems. The slides are
L-RTM (Light-Resin Transfer Molding) manufactured family rafting
slide and a wave slide.
The family rafting slide makes it
possible for family and friends to
share the entertainment and excitement together in circular inflatable
rafts holding two to four passengers.
Since the waterpark experience is a
family experience, adding this type
of ride was of crucial importance to
Aquafantasy Waterpark.
In addition to the strength of the shared experience, the
family rafting slide is also just plain fun. One can experience the joy of twists, turns and drops of the exciting slide
Aquafantasy Waterpark has a
daily capacity of 5,000 people.
path. (Thanks to different slope angles, it also offers a more
flexible design configuration.)
Lastly, the ride itself is extremely functional and aesthetically pleasing. A conveyor system was adapted to launch
the rafts, and since the rafts hold multiple customers, it’s a
great addition as a high-capacity ride. The slide also invites
adventure seekers with its smooth and shiny finish on both
sides and its newly designed forms.
The second new ride is the park’s wave slide. The wave slide
is one that offers uphill rides that offers high speeds and delivers high-pitched squeals of delight. The wave slide’s steep entry provides riders with the thrill of “free falling” and a surge
of adrenaline. After that, they are again propelled uphill to
experience another unforgettable path, this time in reverse,
which takes them back and forth down the waterslide.
Engineered for maximum safety, the wave slide at Aquafantasy delivers the highest level of ride performance. This ride is a
breathtaking experience, and it provides fun for all the guests.
“In continually evolving and renewing waterpark industry,
the world’s premiere parks, like Aquafantasy Waterpark, are after the most attractive, exciting and appealing rides. And Polin
is committed to providing the best quality product and service,”
said Sohret Pakis, marketing manager of Polin Waterparks.
Askin Altiparmak, general coordinator of Aqua Fantasy Hotel and Spa, agreed. “The new slides enhanced the
adrenaline and thrills for our guests. We are very satisfied
with these additions.”
And a third slide...
In 2011, developers of Aquafantasy Waterpark decided to
expand once more.
The new ride, especially designed for the park, is located in
between the two extreme rides added the previous year. The
new ride with dark blue-turquoise color combinations is a fast,
surprising, double-tube slide with double uphill portions. The
height of the slide is 14.68 meters and its length is 131 meters.
“The design of this third slide is a combination of our rafting
slide and our uphill flying boats. This ride is also very unique
because it has two uphill portions. The great thing about this
design is that it uses the same tower as the previous slides, and
it works without water jets. This lowers the operating costs of
the waterpark,” said Zeynep Canbaz, senior architect for Polin.
)Continued on page 35
33 )
Muharrem Atilla, manager for Aquafantasy, adds, “The adrenaline is high; people
are so happy, and the lines are very long.
Due to the high amount of excitement
generated by the two slides we added the
previous year, we were interested in adding another slide. It is amazing to see that
once the riders leave the slide, their faces
are glowing with joy!”
After the last three expansions by Polin,
park developers declared their plan to expand once more in year 2013.
it’s not a wax.
it’s quicker to
apply & it
lasts longer.
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 Convention 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 pounding “X-treme” and “Screamer” toboggans,
which are still unique in the country, according 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
• 2001: “Proracer,” four-lane race ride probarbeque grilled sandwiches,
vided by Proslide Technology. It is the only
burgers, pizza and ice cream.
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 Accomodation 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:
“Uphill Navigatour”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrzGsYATDZ8&list=UUM5ylH547OR0mjQMh8n0EA&index=9&feature=plcp
“Family Rafting”
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35 )
12/16/11 8:33 AM
running a park with
safety in mind.
“Our aim was to
develop a waterpark which would
be the industry
showcase in the
sense of high safety
standards,” Altiparmak said.
“We had to spend more intially by implementing the
U.S. waterpark health and
safety standarts that were
not a requirement by Turkish building codes then. By
taking that approach then,
we achieved our goal today.
“Over the years, Aquafantasy brought many ‘firsts’ to the
Turkish waterpark sector with
the large-ride-time concepts,
coupled with good management, restaurants, events,
sports and recreation and
unique family resort model in
the world,” Altiparmak said.
To learn more about the
park visit: http://www.aquafantasy.com/aquapark/default.asp?lang=EN.
Suppliers Details
Consultants: NBGS Internationa
Waterslides: NBGS International;
ProSlide Technology; Polin
Waterparks & Pool Systems
Wave pool: Murphys Waves Ltd.
Wave generator: Murphys Wav
es Ltd.
Raft/Tubes/Mats: Zebec;
CPI Amusements
FEC equipment: NBGS Internat
ional
Children’s interactive play structure
:
NBGS International
Pool and/or deck coatings: Itali
an Cotto
Filtration equipment: Astral
Chemical: Johnson Diversey
Chemical controllers: Johnson
Diversey
Admission system: Electra Aqu
apark
Systems
Food/Equipment: Algida (Car te
D’or);
Coca Cola; Carlsberg
Livesaving Equipment: Water Safe
ty
Products
Lifeguard Uniforms: Stern
l
Aquafantasy Waterpark
Ephesus Beach ,Selcuk, Izmur,
Turkey
www.aquafantasy.com
info@aquafantasy.com /
www.facebook.com/
AquaFantasyAquapark
Owners: Buyuk Kolej Inc.
Admission prices:
Adult (10 & up): €22
Children (4-9): €13
Under three: Free
Dates open: May 1 – October 30
Capacity: 5,000
Number of employees:
Year-round: 50
Seasonal: 220
Clientele (percent local vs. tour
ist): Depends on years
but average is tourist 45 percent
vs. local 55 percent
Future expansion plans: Reserved
area in the World
Hotel lot
Planned manufacturer: POLIN
Unique park programs: Staf f rete
ntion programs or
in-service programs: Lifeguard
Certification Courses,
regular in-house training prog
rams.
Featuring...
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BARCODED
AND CASHLESS
SPENDING
WRISTBANDS
and much more...
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CHARGE CARDS
“It’s all for the
good of the kids”
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RESERVATIONS
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HANDHELD RETAIL
INVENTORY
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Park Amenities • Water Slides • Service • Installation
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(36
World Waterpark Magazine® MAY 2012
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