Surprisingly wet water rides

[Matt N]

Hi guys. Water rides are a staple part of any theme park, offering cooling respite on a hot day at a park. But have you ever ridden any water rides that have really taken you aback with their wetness?

In terms of water rides that are far wetter than they look, the main one that comes to mind for me is Skull Rock at Oakwood. It was a somewhat dreary day in Wales last time I went to Oakwood, and when we strolled into Neverland, me and my mum thought that Skull Rock might be worth trying. It isn’t a particularly large log flume; it boasts only one drop, and quite a shallow one at that, so we weren’t expecting anything more than a slight misty spray. However, we were wrong to expect so little, because when we plunged down that drop, we got absolutely soaked! Not a Valhalla or Popeye level of soaking by any means, but certainly far wetter than expected given the size of the ride! We were certainly extremely surprised, and our clothes retained a certain moisture for the remainder of our time at Oakwood!

But have you ever been on a water ride that has caught you off guard with its wetness?

 

[CanobieFan]

Probably gonna go with Valhalla. Shockingly wet....and cold. But it was definitely worth it. Shout out to Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges as well, can't think of another raft ride as wet as that!

 

[Matt N]

Probably gonna go with Valhalla. Shockingly wet....and cold. But it was definitely worth it. Shout out to Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges as well, can't think of another raft ride as wet as that!

Valhalla is by far the wettest water ride I’ve ever done... even more so than any of the rides in Florida. It was nearly 30 degrees (Celsius) when I rode Valhalla, and it almost felt like -30 by the time I got off!

I didn’t nominate Valhalla because I was kind of expecting it to be really, really wet before getting on, but I’ll admit that it did still surprise me somewhat with the OTT amount of wetness that it had. I almost think it took away from it for me, but each to their own!

Popeye’s another water ride that did surprise me somewhat when I first rode it; it’s an absolute riot! It’s probably the wettest water ride that I’ve personally found fun, and it’s just action-packed from start to finish!

 

[TLARides]

Is there a thing for "surprisingly not wet water rides?" I think Congo Falls at Kings Island would fit that pretty well.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

 

[JoshC.]

Pulsar at Walibi Belgium (especially outer seats) shocked me with how wet you get. You don't get soaked, but wetter than expecting.

The Dora log flume at Movie Park Germany is viciously wet. Was not prepared for how wet it was going to be.
The log flume at Parc Saint Paul can also be thrown in here. I'm glad I did it on a day that ended up being 30ºC+...

 

[Howie]

Yeah, it's Valhalla and the Bilge Rat Barges innit? All day long.
Dudley Do Rights Flume is also one helluva soaker.
Tidal Wave. I must admit, I do love the way Tidal Wave always gives you that brief moment of 'hang on... that wasn't too bad', before a ton of water is literally dumped on your head.
Also - I won't share the link cos it's the enemy - but there's a very satisfying video on YouTube of the TPR lot getting literally submerged on Speed: The Water Coaster at Energylandia. Worth a look.

 

[chainedbanana]

Chiapas.......It's a ride i'd love to love (cos Phantasialand obviously) but the 3inch of water thats always sloshing around in the bottom of the boat always gives me a shoe full instantly - then my socks are squelchy for the rest of the day (not helped by River quest)... also gives those lapful 'sloshes' during the normal rapids part!

Also the Liseberg Log flume (epically during a 'Fresh' Swedish Autumn).

you can't beat a good old Mack log flume for the right amount of wetness!

 

[Boodangy]

Vonkaputous (rest in peace 2001-2017) comes to mind first, it was built at the very edge of Linnanmäki right next to a pedestrian path / road so they had to install a big plexiglass wall on one side of the splashdown, thus leading to half the water splashed outwards bouncing right back onto the boat. A lot of the time you really got as wet as if you jumped into a lake clothes on.

 

[zazobo]

River Quest. The big bastard soaked me through, my husband got away unscathed (also a big bastard).

 

[Freakedoutjelly]

The log flume at West Mids safari soaked @Nick13 and I - mainly cos the ride op made up cram into the front part of the log together for some reason!

 

[Sandman]

River Quest is definitely an unexpected soaker if you’re an unaware first time rider.

And although I kind of expect a soaking from most Shoot the Chute rides, the one at Parque Warner in Madrid is definitely one of the wettest I’ve been on.

 

[Professor]

Valhalla. I bought the premium poncho, was wearing relatively water repellant trousers and still got soaked to my underwear.

I got wetter on Chiapas than I thought I would get but it's probably my favourite water ride.

 

[ECG]

Shout out to Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges as well, can't think of another raft ride as wet as that!

Dorney Park's Thunder Canyon is by far the wettest raft ride. It's like taking a ride under a giant water faucet. Don't believe me? Just ask anyone who attended the 2012 CF Live where Richard Stone rolled along the exit sidewalk leaving a trail of water for dozens of meters.
I'll also go along with those that have mentioned Valhalla and Vonkaputous. Both surprised me as well.

 

[Rupert]

Obviously completely agree with River Quest - despite knowing it’s reputation I was still pretty shocked by the giant waves that overwhelmed the raft.

I was also really surprised by the rapids at Holiday Park - expecting something benign but came off pretty soaked.

At the other end of the scale, as a surprisingly not-wet water ride: Liseberg’s rapids. More of a fun fast-paced but calm cruise than anything dangerously wet.

 

[cookie]

River Quest definitely. That second drop after the whirlpool is mental.

 

[CanobieFan]

Dorney Park's Thunder Canyon is by far the wettest raft ride.

Hmm, I've done it but its been +15 years haha... but it did make me remember how wet the old rapids at Hershey were!

 

[CoasterMOG]

Dudley Ripsaw falls at universal IOA is up there for me. Certainly the most wet log flume I’ve ever been on and best log ride period

 

[DelPiero]

Most of the big players have already been mentioned, not in order;

• Valhalla
• River Quest
• Chiapas
• Popeye Bilge Rat Barges
• "Tidal Wave" Style Chutes
• Smokey Mountain River Rampage (Dollywood)

I knew this seemed familiar by the way - https://coasterforce.com/forums/threads/what-is-the-wettest-water-ride-youve-ever-been-on.43879/ - Look who started this one @Matt N

 

[Christian]

Enough said

If you have a front heavy boat you will get flooded

 

[Thekingin64]

Dorney Park's Thunder Canyon is by far the wettest raft ride. It's like taking a ride under a giant water faucet. Don't believe me? Just ask anyone who attended the 2012 CF Live where Richard Stone rolled along the exit sidewalk leaving a trail of water for dozens of meters.
I'll also go along with those that have mentioned Valhalla and Vonkaputous. Both surprised me as well.

Completely agree about Dorney's rapids. On my visit there, i was accompanied by family who don't like water rides. Knowing what British rapids are like, i was expecting a light dusting at best and dragged my water ride hating family members on with minimal protective gear. Definitely was not expecting the soaking we got!

Amusingly, afterwards we all were thinking "Right, we're wet anyway" and went immediately to the shoot the chutes next door!