Joanna James
The massive water park offers 45 rides, slides and other exciting attractions for thrill seekers and those who just want to splash around in some water under the sun.
The calm waters off the coast of Abu Dhabi offers next to no waves for the budding surfers, but thankfully, Yas Waterworld has found a solution for that - the Bubble Barrel - the world's largest surf-able wave. The ride features a soft, inclined sheet over which 7,000 litres of rushing water per second, creates a ferocious, 3m high wave. You can choose to ride the waves on a body board (lying down flat on your chest and holding on to the board) but more advanced swimmers prefer to stand on the board and surf. However, before you get to ride the Bubble's Barrel, you need to learn the basics on Rush Rider, a miniature version of Bubble Barrel.
This Dawwama is a gigantic upgrade from the regular water tube slide. This tornado slide offers the chance to 6 adventurous people to ride board an inflated raft, which is then shot along a 20m high funnel. State-of-the-art hydromagnetic power pushes the riders uphill for a hair-raising ride. Cameras are installed along the ride to capture the looks of excitement and terror on the riders faces.
Officially the longest suspended roller coaster in the Middle East, the Bandit Bomber stretches over 550m and is also the world's first to include on board water bombs and laser special effects. In Abu Dhabi's extreme heat, the wet rides continue to attract throngs of people who rush from the airport to the nearest hotel in Abu Dhabi, like the convenient and iconic Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara, for instance, to the water world, just to cool off! Every seat features laser rays which riders can use to activate water cannons and fountains, which drops massive amounts of water on two footpaths below the track, dumping water on other park visitors. However, unsuspecting attendees can retaliate with water canons near the footpaths which shoot water at the roller coaster, leading to an interactive water battle.
Families with children too small or scared to go on the bigger rides, can still have loads of fun at Marah Fortress. This enormous playground is equipped with six mini water slides, water canons, 2 dumping buckets and so much more to keep your child entertained. It's an interactive play area for everyone, so the whole family can have fun here.
The largest wave pool in the Middle East, the Amwaj wave pool can alternate between serene, calm waters to less gentle ones waves, reminiscent of the beach. The pool isn't deep; so young children can swim freely here when the waters are calm. After a full day of adrenalin pumping rides and non-stop excitement, this is a great location to just relax in the water.
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