The history of water slides
From a wooden toboggan run on a Minnesota lake to a rotating wheel in Guangzhou.Start at the top and slide down through time!
The first wave pools
Over 100 years ago, people in Germany built pools with machines that made waves.Undosa on Lake Starnberg (1905), Bilzbad in Radebeul (1912, the first on dry land) and Budapest's Gellért Baths (1927) bring artificial surf to Europe.
The Water-Toboggan Slide
Herbert Sellner built a wooden ramp on a lake. You sat on a wooden sled and skimmed across the water for 50 cents. He later invented the Tilt-A-Whirl ride!Herbert Sellner of Faribault, Minnesota, builds a 30 ft-high, 100 ft wooden track that skims riders on wooden toboggans across a lake at 50 cents a ride. Sold across the US, Canada, Switzerland, Jamaica and Sweden. Sellner invents the Tilt-A-Whirl three years later.
💡 His slides were sold as far away as Jamaica and Sweden.
Concrete pool slides
Town swimming pools started adding concrete slides. They were rough and quite slow!Post-war pools add plaster and concrete flumes; early slide parks include Cobblestones (Virginia, 1950s) and Rock-a-Hoola (California, 1962). Sources for this era are thin.
Big Surf
America's first big wave pool opened in the desert. Fifteen gates dumped 50,000 gallons of water at once to make each wave.Phil Dexter's wave pool in Tempe, Arizona opens 24 October 1969: 15 hydraulic gates dump 50,000 gallons in 1.7 seconds. Later an ASME engineering landmark; closed 2020. Point Mallard, Alabama follows in 1970.
Polin is born
A fibreglass company in Istanbul started making slides. Fibreglass slowly replaced concrete everywhere.Enver Pakiş starts a fibreglass company in Istanbul that becomes one of the big four slide makers. Fibreglass replaces concrete through the decade.
Wet 'n Wild Orlando
George Millay opened the first big water park, with the first lazy river. In its first year it lost money, then everyone came!George Millay opens the first major purpose-built water park on 13 March 1977, and Alpamare in Switzerland opens as an early indoor park. Millay trademarks "Lazy River" and follows with the Kamikaze (1979) and Der Stuka (1984).
Schlitterbahn and Water World
Two parks that are still open today started with just a few slides each.The Henry family open Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels with four slides; Hyland Hills open Water World in Colorado. Both still operate.
WhiteWater West starts
Geoff Chutter started what became the biggest slide company in the world. ProSlide followed in 1986.Geoff Chutter founds the company in British Columbia. Wiegand's first stainless slide (1982), the WWA (1981/82), Waterfun Products (1984) and ProSlide (1986, Rick Hunter) follow; by 1983 the US has 29 large water parks and 38 wave pools.
The first steel slide
Wiegand made a slide out of shiny stainless steel.Undosa on Lake Starnberg (1905), Bilzbad in Radebeul (1912, the first on dry land) and Budapest's Gellért Baths (1927) bring artificial surf to Europe.
Cannonball Loop
Action Park's straight-up loop opened and closed within a month.Action Park builds its vertical loop; it runs for about a month in 1985 before regulators shut it.
World Waterpark, Edmonton
The biggest indoor water park in the world opened inside a shopping mall in snowy Canada.The world's largest indoor water park opens 15 April 1986 in West Edmonton Mall with a 12.5 m-wide indoor wave pool.
Insano and Disney
Brazil's Insano became the tallest slide in the world, and Disney opened Typhoon Lagoon.Disney enters the market; Beach Park's 41 m Insano becomes the tallest slide in the world.
The FlowRider
The first surf machine opened at Schlitterbahn.Tom Lochtefeld's Boogie Bahn sheet wave opens at Schlitterbahn.
Space Bowl
A giant bowl slide opened at Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent.Waterworld Stoke-on-Trent opens a WhiteWater Space Bowl on 27 December 1992; bowls spread through the decade.
Uphill at last!
The first water coasters (Blasters) opened at Schlitterbahn, and the first mat racer opened at Disney.After sweeping IAAPA's 1993 awards, NBGS opens the first Blasters at Schlitterbahn in May 1994. ProSlide's ProRACER mat racer debuts the same year at Blizzard Beach, and the first US indoor water park opens at the Polynesian Resort, Wisconsin Dells.
Summit Plummet
Disney's 36-metre speed slide opened at Blizzard Beach.Blizzard Beach opens with the 36.6 m speed slide that defines the American free-fall for a generation.
Kilimanjaro
The 49.9-metre giant opened in Brazil and became the tallest in the world for over 20 years.Blue Wave's 49.9 m body slide opens in Brazil (Guinness dates the record 2002) and holds the height title, with one interruption, for 25 years. Therme Erding opens 3 October.
The first funnels
ProSlide's Tornado funnel slides opened at three parks at once.Undosa on Lake Starnberg (1905), Bilzbad in Radebeul (1912, the first on dry land) and Budapest's Gellért Baths (1927) bring artificial surf to Europe.
Tropical Islands
A rainforest water park opened inside a giant airship hangar. The first raft bowl opened in California the same year.Germany's giant hangar park opens; ProSlide's raft bowl debuts at Golfland-Sunsplash.
Magnets and China
Deluge, the first magnet water coaster, opened in Kentucky. Chimelong Water Park opened in China and soon became the busiest in the world.Deluge, the first hydromagnetic coaster, opens at Kentucky Kingdom; Chimelong Water Park opens in Guangzhou and soon becomes the world's busiest.
Loop the loop
The first AquaLoop opened. The same year, Aquaventure Dubai and Siam Park opened.Action Park builds its vertical loop; it runs for about a month in 1985 before regulators shut it.
Wildebeest
Holiday World opened a 520-metre water coaster, and America got its first looping slide.Holiday World's 1,710 ft coaster becomes the longest; Noah's Ark opens the first US AquaLoop.
Mammoth
The longest water coaster in the world opened: 537 metres.Holiday World's 1,763 ft Mammoth opens 11 May and remains the longest water coaster. Polin's King Cobra reaches the US.
Desert parks
Yas Waterworld opened in Abu Dhabi and Dubai's Aquaventure grew a second tower.Yas Waterworld opened in Abu Dhabi and Dubai's Aquaventure grew a second tower.
Verrückt
The 51-metre "crazy" slide opened in Kansas City as the tallest in the world.The 51.38 m raft slide opens 10 July in Kansas City as the tallest slide in the world and wins Best New Ride.
Saucers and games
The Flying Saucer opened in Spain and the first video-game slide opened in Las Vegas.ProSlide's FlyingSAUCER debuts at Siam Park along with the first RocketBLAST; WhiteWater's Slideboarding opens in Las Vegas.
A sad year and a record
Verrückt closed for ever after Caleb Schwab died. Massiv became the tallest water coaster. Wet 'n Wild Orlando closed on New Year's Eve.Verrückt closed for ever after Caleb Schwab died. Massiv became the tallest water coaster. Wet 'n Wild Orlando closed on New Year's Eve.
Volcano Bay
Universal opened a park around a volcano. Kansas made new safety laws.Universal's park opens 25 May on the Wet 'n Wild site; Kansas tightens its ride law on 1 July.
The wheel and the goggles
The first SlideWheel opened in China and the first VR slide opened in Germany.The SlideWheel opens at Chimelong on 1 April; the first VR slide opens at Galaxy Erding in July; Atlantis Sanya opens; Verrückt is dismantled in November.
The longest slide
ESCAPE's 1,111-metre jungle slide opened. Rulantica opened in Germany.Herbert Sellner of Faribault, Minnesota, builds a 30 ft-high, 100 ft wooden track that skims riders on wooden toboggans across a lake at 50 cents a ride. Sold across the US, Canada, Switzerland, Jamaica and Sweden. Sellner invents the Tilt-A-Whirl three years later.
DreamWorks Water Park
The biggest indoor park in North America opened, in a year when most parks had to close for a while.North America's largest indoor park opens 1 October in New Jersey with the world's tallest indoor slides, in the middle of a pandemic that shuts most parks for a season.
Trident Tower
Dubai added a 12-slide tower. Tsunami Surge, an 86-foot water coaster, opened near Chicago.Aquaventure Dubai's 12-slide tower opens 1 March; Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago's 86 ft Tsunami Surge opens in May.
Meryal
The 85-metre Icon Tower opened. A year later Guinness confirmed it had the tallest slides ever.Qatar's 85 m Icon Tower opens in late 2023 and, in October 2024, Guinness certifies its 76.3 m slides as the tallest ever built.
Rise of Icarus
America's tallest slide opened in Wisconsin. Over 30 million people visited the top 20 water parks this year.Mt. Olympus opens America's tallest slide (145 ft); the top-20 water parks draw 30.6 million visits.
A new champion
Volcano Bay became best water park after Schlitterbahn's 27-year streak. Chimelong opened a new magnet coaster.Volcano Bay became best water park after Schlitterbahn's 27-year streak. Chimelong opened a new magnet coaster.
This year!
Aquarabia opened in Saudi Arabia, Europe got its tallest slides in Türkiye, Yas Waterworld reached 55 slides, and a new island park opened in the Bahamas with a 52-metre tower.Aquarabia opened in Saudi Arabia, Europe got its tallest slides in Türkiye, Yas Waterworld reached 55 slides, and a new island park opened in the Bahamas with a 52-metre tower.