Aquarabia Qiddya City Becomes WhiteWater’s Latest Achievement

Operating a water park in the desert is a feat within itself. Designing a property that includes five-record breaking rides (as attributed to WhiteWater)—some of which are the longest or tallest on the planet—is a colossal endeavor.

Saudi Arabia’s vision for an immersive 25,000 square-meter water theme park became a challenge that WhiteWater’s team couldn’t resist. Using their 46 years of expertise, WhiteWater created an unparalleled epicenter for aquatic entertainment featuring 22 rides and attractions spread out across eight uniquely themed zones.

Aquarabia Qiddya City, located just outside of Riyadh, did more than make a splash on a global scale; the attraction proves to the industry that limitless imagination and uncompromising engineering can redefine the concept and capabilities of a water park.

Making Waves in the Desert
WhiteWater is no newcomer to the Middle East. Yas Waterworld in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, features multiple WhiteWater attractions, including the first log flumes constructed inside a water park.

But developing Aquarabia Qiddiya City became a project of immense proportions with an equally monumental goal: create a water park that the world has never seen before.
 
The first challenge was the most important: securing water.

“Aquarabia Qiddiya City is not close to the coast,” says Onno Meeter, WhiteWater’s president of water parks. “We wanted to test each ride or attraction individually as we completed it, but there was no water onsite.” 

Meeter explains the scarcity of this natural resource became a constant logistical challenge. Instead of finishing each component piece by piece, teams had to work on multiple elements of the park simultaneously to adhere to the envisioned timeline.

“How did we manage the next phase and keep the process going forward while we’re still working on the prior phase?” Meeter asks. “With a construction site of this magnitude, we had to rely on our on-site advisors to address and respond to these daily challenges within minutes.”

James Hansen, WhiteWater’s senior director of project services, did not underestimate the facility’s scope. Overseeing the project management group, Hansen received the specifications, the timeline, and the intricate level of detail they needed to deliver.

“WhiteWater has built tens of thousands of water slides and we’ve already completed a mega project in Qatar, but the scale of Aquarabia felt like our first time in many aspects,” Hansen says. “We hired a full-time on-site project manager, which we normally don’t do, and at one point, we had nearly a dozen other construction professionals on-site to assist.”

Hansen shares that while many of these individuals spoke a wide variety of languages, each shared a passion for the project and still effectively communicated to efficiently build a safe, enjoyable guest experience no matter how challenging the conditions proved.

A majority of Aquarabia Qiddiya City is a WhiteWater creation: from the Speedy Jamezales, a high-speed AquaTube, to the impressive Master Blaster/Constrictor/Boomerango Squeeze Fusion experience named the Junoon Drop, Aquarabia Qiddiya City is the quintessential WhiteWater production.

“This vast collection of slides speaks to the diversity of what WhiteWater offers the industry,” Hansen says. “One ticket gets you a demonstration of the WhiteWater portfolio in a single location. There aren’t many water parks in the world that can actually offer that footprint from a capital perspective, which is why Qiddiya is such a special project.”

Two of the WhiteWater team’s favorite additions to Aquarabia Qiddiya City are the Wadi Tahaddi Spinning Rapids Ride and Hype Viper Shoot the Chute—two innovative water-based rides traditionally found at amusement parks—that stand out among the nearly two dozen other attractions.

“The Hype Viper is a giant splash boat ride that utilizes a 20-person vehicle and features a splash bridge where non-riders can get wet,” says Kelly Sall, general manager of water rides for WhiteWater. “The ride traverses its track in about three minutes and those watching get to see the riders come down the 15-meter drop flanked by a beautifully sculpted mountain. It’s spectacular.”

Sall and his team see a big path forward for water rides and hope that the uniqueness of the Hyper Viper and Wad Tahaddi will inspire other water parks to integrate these types of attractions.

Creating a Culturally-Inclusive Water Park for All Communities
Aquarabia Qiddiya City sits in the heart of the Middle East; and while the goal was to build an unforgettable destination for a global audience, creating a culturally-inclusive experience for regional travelers was always a nonnegotiable priority.

“Just as the finite water issue was in every discussion, female and traditional dress sensitivities were always front and center,” says Emily Colombo, vice president of strategic sales partnerships. “In the early days of the design, there was always a discussion of two distinct family zones: one for women and children and another for families and children.”

Ultimately, designers settled on a zone to align with Saudi Arabia’s movement towards a more open societal presence for women. The design enables the area to be closed off during women-only hours or on select days, while other areas of the park also offer enhanced privacy so that guests don’t feel as if they’re on display while waiting in line for a ride

Since water park rides are typically wet attractions ridden by guests in bathing suits—WhiteWater and Aquarabia Qiddiya City sought to defy expectations with their signature Master Blaster ride, Junoon Drop.

The seven-person family ride is designed specifically for guests who wish to ride in their choice of clothing. Each raft takes riders uphill and down drops, whisking them through dark enclosed flumes before finally slingshotting them into an open, high-banking 180-degree series of twists and turns—all while remaining relatively dry.

“They wanted us to break records and we did,” Colombo says. “It’s the largest ride in the world and the facility developers believed WhiteWater were the most qualified to bring such a complicated idea to life. Even the guys that test our water slides say that it’s the best ride in the world.”

James Hansen believes that record-breaking rides are great, but it’s the way the collection of water slides and rides cultivate a sense of togetherness that’s really special.

“No other activities offer the experience quite like riding a raft at a water park with your family,” Hansen says. “We created a safe space where families can experience these moments together. It’s exciting, it’s fun, it makes us laugh, it makes us scared; these are the memories we talk about forever and the fact that WhiteWater is creating these memories for generations of families is very special.” 

Rethinking The Theme of Aquatic Attractions
Aquarabia Qiddiya City is divided into eight distinct zones, each with its own hallmarks. Surf Lagoon, for instance, is the first inland surf pool in Saudi Arabia, while The Den is a family-friendly playground for women and children built with Life Floor surfacing to provide a worry-free space for exploration. 

Many on the WhiteWater team believe that their rides and attractions are further enhanced by the elaborate thematic design integrated into virtually every corner of the water park. Even though each of the eight zones have their own alluring identity, Camel Rock is by far the star of the park. 

“Camel Rock is the main icon,” Colombo says. “The space features options for thrill seekers and families alike, plus there’s a restaurant at the top of Camel Rock.”

“There’s only so much you can do with glass and steel,” says Sall. “The theming at Aquarabia Qiddiya City is unbelievable. The park rivals the size and scale of most theme parks and it’s awesome to showcase our rides with such exquisite architectural and environmental elements.” 

Highlighting the uniqueness of Aquarabia Qiddiya City’s eight distinct zones, Sall believes that the attention to detail presents a compelling experience for guests—one that will undoubtedly be replicated in water parks across the world. 

Paul Chutter, president and co-founder of Endless Surf, agrees that Aquarabia Qiddiya City’s groundbreaking approach will act as a template for multi-zoned parks proving master-planned properties can operate semi-independently without siloing.

“The addition of our Endless Surf 32 is a perfect example of how the attraction is positioned as an anchor attraction, leaning towards a sports and adrenaline-seeking audience,” he says. “This appeals to a non-traditional water park audience and who will no doubt also enjoy all Aquarabia Qiddiya City has to offer in addition to Surftopia.”

Chutter continues: “Surftopia is a separate zone of the park with separate tickets, this allows the park’s operators to maximize the potential of the pool to host surf competitions or sponsored lifestyle events and become a regular draw for locals that become addicted to surf as a sport and lifestyle.” 

Onno Meeter hopes water park operators and owners of all sizes understand that while Aquarabia is nearly impossible to duplicate, there is endless potential for replication. 

“You don’t need a massive 25,000 square-meter piece of land to recreate the essence,” Meeter says. “You can look at all sections of Aquarabia Qiddiya City, then apply that style and level of theming to one small section of your water park.” 

James Hansen elaborates further: “Any aspect of Aquarabia Qiddiya City can fit in another water park when it’s scaled down. It’s actually what we do most; Aquarabia Qiddiya City is the exception.” 

“We don’t want our future customers to look at Aquarabia Qiddiya City and see this unrelatable concept,” Colombo adds. “You can break this project down to address hyper-specific problems at your park. Do you have a really short summer season? We developed a dry, water-based attraction at Aquarabia Qiddiya City that can work through your shoulder seasons, too.” 

IAAPA members are encouraged to learn more about WhiteWater’s industry-leading aquatic attractions by visiting their website. 
 

The article above is sponsored by WhiteWater. The content presented does not imply endorsement by IAAPA, IAAPA.org, IAAPA News Daily, or Funworld magazine. The information contained should not be construed as a formal recommendation for products and services or instructional guidance provided by IAAPA.