Aquatica annual passholders will have last dibs for a final ride on HooRoo Run and Walhalla Wave, which close at the end of the month to make way for the park’s newest raft ride.
HooRoo Run will be replaced next spring with a manta ray-shaped water slide called Ray Rush. Aquatica is giving its passholders a one-time Quick Queue ticket allowing them easier access for their last rides.
The two attractions close Oct. 31 so the park can begin construction on Ray Rush in Novermber.
At nearly 60 feet tall, Ray Rush will take riders on a slide, splash and soar fest.
First, riders will be launched at 33 feet per second with water jets designed to propel rafts into the first of several enclosed tubes. Next, riders will swirl into a translucent sphere, which spins the raft around the slide walls before entering another enclosed tube. Finally, riders will drop into an open-air halfpipe that resembles the shape of a manta ray.
Rafts will soar back and forth on the wings of the manta before entering the final enclosed tube that ends with a splash.
“Ray Rush will offer a ride experience you won’t be able to get anywhere else in Florida,” said Cathy Valeriano, Aquatica vice president. “Aquatica will be the first waterpark in the state to combine these three unique elements into one attraction”
Ray Rush will have a height requirement of 42 inches to appeal to families with children and will accommodate up to four riders per raft. The new slide will be located on the north side of the park next to Walkabout Waters.