As temperatures rise this summer, people are trying to find more ways to cool off, and a water park north of Montreal thinks it may have found a whole new attraction for young people.
Super Aqua Club Inn pointe-calumetQ., has installed a new multisensory ride – an artificial river that flows through a 23-metre tunnel.
Riders on inflatable tubes are subjected to a variety of experiences, including holographic projections, sounds, and special water effects.
“You know it was really dark and it was really fun,” 19-year-old Jack Hickman said after leaving the ride. “I didn’t get to see what was really going on and then bam! No water came out of nowhere.”
His friend, 18-year-old Nick Banoussis, agreed. “It was really scary too,” he laughed.
Stephen Hamelin, CEO of Vortex Aquatic Structures, the attraction’s company, stresses that although some people may find some parts of the attraction a little hair-raising, the experience is still enjoyable.
“It’s a jungle theme,” he explained, “so they’re going to see images of the forest and the noise from the forest and it’s very artistic.”
He said the experience is about five minutes long, but to see it all, riders will have to go through the tunnel more than once.
“It’s also interactive, so depending on where you are, there will be feedback on your presence and how many people there are,” he told Global News.
Club officials claim there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world.
“I think we are proud of that and the fact that this is a Quebec company,” said Nadine Saint-Amant, president and co-owner of Super Aqua Club, with a smile.
According to Hamlin, it was created to attract youth.
“Children today are addicted to multimedia, high-intensity experiences,” he explained.
That’s why Saint-Amant said they jumped on the project, pointing out that increasingly people are using — and using — the technology, so integrating it into theme parks makes sense.
“People want to be entertained, people want to feel emotions, not only riding one but having other stuff as well,” she reasoned.
The customers Global News spoke to in the park agree.
“I was laughing the whole way,” said Josiane Konate, who rode with her eight-year-old son. “There’s a lot of surprise there. I didn’t expect it at all.”
Alex Paquin was visiting with his nine-month-old son, Austin.
“He was a little scared,” Paquin said of his infant. “He cried a little but he was good.”
When asked if they weren’t too old for the ride, both Banoussis and Hickman were emphatic.
“No, you’re never too old,” said Hickman. “never too old.”
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