Are you tired of the same old weekends spent at the same old theme parks, malls and cinemas? Well, so are we. Lucky for us, after years of longingly eyeing the Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi’s labyrinth exoskeleton from over the fences, the UAE capital’s first mega waterpark is finally opening for business this weekend.
Set across 15 hectares, Yas Island’s new addition offers thrill-seekers and water babies an impressive 43 rides, slides and attractions, with something on offer for the whole family.
Visitors will experience fun and adventure on rides and attractions never seen before in waterparks such as the world’s longest, fastest tornado waterslide, the region’s first looping waterslide and the world’s first interactive water and laser rollercoaster.
Its award-winning theme – based on an original story developed exclusively for the waterpark – pays tribute to the Emirati culture with the UAE’s pearl-diving heritage at the core, and will provide an unforgettable experience for young and old.
The Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi story: ‘The lost pearl’
A long time ago in a pearl-diving village known as Qaryat Al Jewana, divers discovered the ‘mother pearl’ lying amongst the oysters on the sea bed. The ‘mother pearl’ brought prosperity and bountiful pearl harvests to the village.
One day, a fierce shamal (wind) blew in from the sea. For three days and nights, the worst storm in living memory battered the village. On the fourth morning as the winds subsided, the villagers came out from their homes to see the ‘mother pearl’ had vanished.
Over the years pearls become more and more rare and the village fell on hard times. To make matters worse, a gang of greedy bandits moved into the village and stole many of the precious pearls that were found by the divers. Seeing how hard life was in the village, a young girl named Dana asked her mother to tell her the story of the lost pearl again, so that she could set out to find the mighty pearl and bring prosperity back to her village.
Dana wandered across the desert to find the missing pearl with the bandits in hot pursuit. After meeting several friendly animals along the way, her journey brought her back to the oasis just outside the village where she discovered the missing pearl!
All of this comes to life at the park’s scintillating attractions. Everything is there, from Bubble’s Barrel – the world’s largest FlowBarrel 10 Double – as well as the Gulf region’s largest surfable sheet wave for Flowboards and Bodyboards.
Bandit Bomber – the longest suspended rollercoaster in the Gulf featuring family-friendly four-passenger coaches and some impressive on-board water and laser special effects; and the park’s most visually exciting adventure Slither’s Slides – the only ‘rattling’ waterslide we’ve ever come across, and one that features a stomach-churning maze of slides and tunnels with twists, turns and special effects.
One interactive adventure game that will impress the ladies is the traditional Emirati pearl diving show that sees freedivers search pearls for you to keep.
And there will never be a dull moment for the little ones at Marah Fortress, a fairytale playground with six slides, two dumping buckets, a water-shooting geyser, water cannons and more. Yehal offers a smaller version of the latter for toddlers too, so you can pull up a beach chair or the traditional cabana and catch some rays and R’n’R in peace (almost).
FACTFILE:
WHAT: Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi
WHEN: Opens this Thursday, January 24
COST: General admission tickets are Dh225, while juniors (children under 1.1 metres tall) pay just Dh185. Premium and annual passes are also available.
AGES: Definitely bring the whole family
Sport360° VERDICT: 43 slides, rides and attractions are honestly just the half of it. This is history in the making and you’ll want to be one of the first to experience it.
CONTACT: www.yaswaterworld.com
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