Dark Water Slides...Meh!

I am not a fan of pitch black water slides. It isn't that I am scared of the dark, I am just a fan of visual stimulation. You can get a similar sensation of riding though a pitch black tube by standing in a dark room with a fan blowing on you and spritzing water in your face.

This is Jade Rapids at Lost Island Water Park in Waterloo Iowa. This is a very fun tube ride. With a two person tube, you bank high on the sides of the slide and you get the sensation that you are going to flip over. Unfortunately it is pitch black for almost the entirety of the ride.

This is the Polynesian Plunge & Samoan Splash at Lost Island Water Park in Waterloo Iowa. This slide starts off with a short dark section but then the rest of the slide is open. This is an improvement in my opinion.

 

This is the Wild Wildebeest at Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. This is a dark tube but they have drilled a number of holes to allow light into the tube. I think this is an improvement over the pitch black tube. It is neat seeing the lights wiz past my head.

This is the Coyote Canyon at Great Wolf Lodge in the Wisconsin Dells. This is a completely translucent tube. I am a big fan of this type of tube. The visual stimulation makes you feel like you are traveling though some sort of warp tunnel. I would like to see more slides like this as I feel they are way more exciting than a pitch black tunnel.

Do you like pitch black slides or visual stimulation? Please leave your comments below.

2014 Wisconsin Dells Kalahari Resort Water Slide Review

Videos were shot using a GoPro Hero 3+ Black edition (http://amzn.to/1uKqiY0) and a GoPole Bobber (http://amzn.to/1p3TBS0).

Master Blaster - Kalahari Resort Water Park Wisconsin Dells 

This slide is known as a "water coaster" because its path  mimics that of a roller coaster. Gravity pulls you down on the slopes but when you enter the bottom of a valley, a track pulls you up at high speed. There are platforms with escape hatches at the bottom of each valley in case a boat gets stuck. This ride is a lot of fun yet relatively mild so it would be good people who aren't into extreme slides but still want a thrill.

Victoria Falls - Kalahari Resort Water Park Wisconsin Dells

This is another relatively tame tube ride you can ride with two of your friends.

Tanzanian Twister - Kalahari Resort Water Park Wisconsin Dells

This is a favorite of mine. This isn't for the inexperienced water parker. You race down a narrow tube into a large bowl. You ride around the bowl a few times until gravity takes hold and drops you into the 9' 6" deep pool. Once you splash down, it is easy to become disoriented. Once you get your bearings you need to swim to the ladder and exit the pool. I usually try to take a couple of deep breaths while in the bowl to prepare myself for the big plunge.

Rippling Rhino - Kalahari Resort Water Park Wisconsin Dells

This is a pretty standard two person tube boat ride. This tube is a bit narrow and I felt like a hot dog in a hot dog bun. This is a pretty tame ride so it is good for beginners.

Swahali Swirl - Kalahari Resort Water Park Wisconsin Dells

This is a fun bowl ride but I wouldn't recommended it for beginners. My first time going down this, I hit my head on the slide. I should have known better. On these bowl rides where you ride in a single tube, I have found it is best to tuck in your head and pull in your knees to avoid hitting them on the slide. This is most important in the entry tube and when exiting the bowl. You can relax your posture when swirling around the bowl.

Wild Wildebeest - Kalahari Resort Water Park Wisconsin Dells

This is a pretty basic one or two person tube ride. I am not a fan of dark tubes so I like the light holes in the sides of the tube.

Zimbabwe Zipper - Kalahari Resort Water Park Wisconsin Dells

This almost seems like a body slide version of the Wild Wildabeest.

Anaconda - Kalahari Resort Water Park Wisconsin Dells

This is a short but steep tube ride. You can ride this with two people in a green tube or one person in a clear tube. It isn't a bad slide but the green tube is relatively heavy so I would probably go singles on this one.

If you wish to see more, check out my Great Wolf Lodge water slide review.

2014 Wisconsin Dells Great Wolf Lodge Water Slide Review

Videos were shot using a GoPro Hero 3+ Black edition (http://amzn.to/1uKqiY0) and a GoPole Bobber (http://amzn.to/1p3TBS0).

Whirly Bird Run - Great Wolf Lodge Wisconsin Dells 

This is a mild tube slide. It has some dark sections and other open sections.

Coyote Cannon - Great Wolf Lodge Wisconsin Dells 

I am a big fan of this translucent slide. This isn't the fastest or scariest tube slide I have ridden but I like the visuals on this one.

Howlin' Tornado - Great Wolf Lodge Wisconsin Dells 

Colloquially known as "the funnel", the Howlin' Tornado is one of my favorite slides. This slide gives you the sensation of riding in a half pipe. The ride starts off with a steep drop into the funnel. As you approach the opposite side of the funnel, you feel like you are going to flip over. You carve back and forth a few times with each iteration being less intense than the last. Finally, you exit to a pool at the bottom.

Great Wolf has adorned the Howlin' Tornado with an LED light display at night.

If you wish to see more, check out my Kalahari water park review

Go Pro Hero 3+ Black Edition Water Balloon Pop Slo-mo 240 fps

I was curious as to what a water balloon popping would look like on a GoPro using WVGA 240 fps mode. I can't say I was super impressed with the results.