At Aquafantasy in Turkey

FantasyRealized!

The Offi cial Magazine of the World Waterpark Association

May 2012

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Aquafantasy Waterpark, lo-cated 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 Ae-

gean 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 Arte-mis, considered to be one of the sev-en 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.

Two new slides for ‘10In 2010, the park celebrated its

10th year by adding two unique wa-ter rides designed, manufactured and installed by Polin Waterparks and Pool Systems. The slides are L-RTM (Light-Resin Transfer Mold-ing) manufactured family rafting slide and a wave slide.

The family rafting slide makes it possible for family and friends to share the entertainment and excite-ment together in circular infl atable 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 experi-ence the joy of twists, turns and drops of the exciting slide

A Fantasy Realized!A Fantasy Realized!There’s always room for expansion at Aquafantasy Waterpark in Izmir, Turkey

(32 World Waterpark Magazine® MAY 2012

path. (Thanks to different slope angles, it also offers a more fl exible design confi guration.)

Lastly, the ride itself is extremely functional and aestheti-cally 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 fi nish 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 deliv-ers high-pitched squeals of delight. The wave slide’s steep en-try 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 Aquafan-tasy 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 af-ter 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 Fanta-sy Hotel and Spa, agreed. “The new slides enhanced the adrenaline and thrills for our guests. We are very satisfi ed 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 fl ying 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.

Aquafantasy Waterpark has a daily capacity of 5,000 people.

)Continued on page 35

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Muharrem Atilla, manager for Aquafan-tasy, 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 add-ing 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 ex-pand once more in year 2013.

Origins of funThe 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 Con-vention 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 pound-ing “X-treme” and “Screamer” toboggans, which are still unique in the country, ac-cording 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:• 2001: “Proracer,” four-lane race ride pro-vided by Proslide Technology. It is the only 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 Accomoda-tion Award” in the world by TUİ Group in the “Splash” category.

Through it all, Aquafantasy Waterpark has maintained its focus designing and

To view YouTube video of the new rides, click on the following links:

“Uphill Navigatour”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrzGsYATDZ8&list=UUM5ylH5-47OR0mjQMh8n0EA&index=9&feature=plcp

“Family Rafting”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDfqgOOyEjY&feature=relmfu

Check ‘Em Out!

The park’s food options include barbeque grilled sandwiches, burgers, pizza and ice cream.

35 )

running a park with safety in mind.

“Our aim was to develop a water-park which would be the industry showcase in the sense of high safety standards,” Altiparmak said. “We had to spend more in-tially by implementing the U.S. waterpark health and safety standarts that were not a requirement by Turk-ish building codes then. By taking that approach then, we achieved our goal today.

“Over the years, Aquafanta-sy brought many ‘fi rsts’ to the Turkish waterpark sector with the large-ride-time concepts, coupled with good manage-ment, restaurants, events, sports and recreation and unique family resort model in the world,” Altiparmak said.

To learn more about the park visit: http://www.aqua-fantasy.com/aquapark/de-fault.asp?lang=EN.

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DetailsAquafantasy Waterpark Ephesus Beach ,Selcuk, Izmur, Turkeywww.aquafantasy.cominfo@aquafantasy.com /www.facebook.com/AquaFantasyAquaparkOwners: 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. tourist): 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: POLINUnique park programs: Staff retention programs or in-service programs: Lifeguard Certifi cation Courses, regular in-house training programs.

Suppliers Consultants: NBGS International Waterslides: NBGS International; ProSlide Technology; Polin Waterparks & Pool Systems Wave pool: Murphys Waves Ltd.Wave generator: Murphys Waves Ltd. Raft/Tubes/Mats: Zebec; CPI Amusements

FEC equipment: NBGS InternationalChildren’s interactive play structure: NBGS International

Pool and/or deck coatings: Italian CottoFiltration equipment: Astral Chemical: Johnson Diversey Chemical controllers: Johnson Diversey Admission system: Electra Aquapark Systems

Food/Equipment: Algida (Carte D’or); Coca Cola; Carlsberg

Livesaving Equipment: Water Safety Products

Lifeguard Uniforms: Stern

standards,” Altiparmak said.

SuppliersSuppliersSuppliersConsultants:Consultants:Consultants:Consultants:

Waterslides:Waterslides:Waterslides:Waterslides: ProSlide Technology; Polin Waterparks & Pool Systems

Wave pool:Wave pool:Wave pool:Wave pool:

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“It’s all for the good of the kids”

(36 World Waterpark Magazine® MAY 2012