What does the future hold for rapids rides in the UK?

[Matt N]

Hi guys. As many of you may know, rapids rides have grown to be a rather contentious topic within the UK industry in recent years. Following the incident on Splash Canyon at Drayton Manor in 2017, the safety of these attractions was brought into question by the HSE and the parks operating them. As such, most water effects were removed, the prevalence of staff around the rides increased, and safeguards such as doors and higher backs were added onto the boats.

This was not where the matter ended, however. The HSE released the results of their inquest into the Drayton Manor incident in 2021, and this inquest contained a number of safety measures for parks to implement on their rapids rides long term. These suggestions included the things already mentioned above, but it should be noted that this HSE inquest also emphasised the need to make riders’ risk of death from drowning very clear. The HSE said that parks needed to install frequent signage around the rides and their queues warning of the risk of drowning, and platform staff also became required to perform a strongly gesticulated safety spiel to each group talking about the risk of drowning before the ride. This subsequently meant that an emphasis on risk education and incident aversion was substantially amplified on UK rapids rides for 2022, and any notion of effects returning seemed to be put on the back burner, in the short term at least.

Increasingly, some enthusiasts are beginning to argue that the situation with rapids rides in Britain is untenable. Many say that the new safety measures are so overbearing that they almost make rapids rides not worth operating anymore. I'm hearing terms like "glorified lazy river" and "boring" thrown around to describe many rapids rides in the UK these days, and even Adventure Cove River Rapids at Drayton Manor, which was newly rethemed for 2021 in accordance with these guidelines, does not exactly buck the trend effects-wise compared to other UK rapids rides.

As such, questions are beginning to be asked about the long term future of rapids rides in the UK. People are wondering whether this type of attraction continues to be a viable fit for the UK theme park industry given how much circumstances have changed since many UK rapids rides were first built. With this in my mind, my question to you today is; in your opinion, what does the future hold for rapids rides in the UK?

Personally, I don't think revered rapids rides being permanently consigned to history in the UK is necessarily a foregone conclusion, but I do feel that getting a revered rapids ride into the UK again would likely require the construction of a brand new one. To have special effects put back onto a UK rapids ride, I think seatbelts would have to be included, and to justify those, I think you'd need to design a rapids ride very differently to how any of the current UK rapids rides are designed. This is because on the current UK rapids rides, the risk of the boat capsizing, relative to the risk of someone coming out, is too high for seatbelts to exist. Whereas on a more thrilling rapids ride with larger boats, the risk of coming out is higher and seatbelts are therefore justified. I do think a new rapids ride could well be built in the UK at some point with some of these slightly more thrilling features, but I'll admit that I'm not sure if other types of water ride, such as a water coaster or new-gen log flume, might be more feasible for the modern UK market.

But what do you guys think? What do you feel that the future holds for rapids rides in the UK?

 

[rob666]

The rides will remain, as a poor version of what they once were.
Some thoosies saying the situation is untenable will be ignored completely, as they represent less than one tenth of one percent of the intended audience...families.

 

[Relife]

Towers will have to make a decision to either refurb or replace Congo River Rapids at some point in the near future. Only issue getting rid would be lack of a replacement water ride.

The safety requirements are an issue but all the rapids in the UK are pretty old so safety features have been retrofitted over time. Id love to see a modern rapids built in the UK but the only park I could see getting one is Poultons.

Log Flumes are also becoming a rarer site as well which is a real shame as water rides really add to any theme park despite the weather over here

 

[Burner]

When I worked at Towers, one of the commonly asked questions I got asked by guests, particularly on hot days was where the water rides were. When I pointed out that there was only the Rapids and Battle Galleons left, 9 times out of 10 they walked off disappointed especially when they discovered that the Flume was longer there. There's definitely a place for a really good rapids ride, or water ride in general in the UK, particularly if our weather is to become milder, with hotter summers. I just wish Towers/Merlin would take their thumb out of their backside and realise this.

 

[Thameslink Rail]

Thorpe in comparison has quite a lot of water rides of different wetness levels: Rumba Rapids is about as dry as Congo although the waterfall is still on, Storm Surge would have a good wetness level if the rafts didn't flood so easily (would also help if the throughput was decent), Tidal Wave is just too wet and is just uncomfortable.

 

[WillPS]

When I worked at Towers, one of the commonly asked questions I got asked by guests, particularly on hot days was where the water rides were. When I pointed out that there was only the Rapids and Battle Galleons left, 9 times out of 10 they walked off disappointed especially when they discovered that the Flume was longer there. There's definitely a place for a really good rapids ride, or water ride in general in the UK, particularly if our weather is to become milder, with hotter summers. I just wish Towers/Merlin would take their thumb out of their backside and realise this.

In fairness, before Battle Galleons there was only 2, right?

I get that a flume is better, but still, it's not a historic low.

I think the regulations on water filtration which came in for new rides around 2000 already made the prospect of any new rapids or flumes unlikely.

For what it's worth - the best log flume in the world and the best rapids in the UK were both at The American Adventure.

 

[Zeock]

Could rapids rides in the future use curve shaped lap bars to alleviate Health and Safety concerns?

 

[WillPS]

Could rapids rides in the future use curve shaped lap bars to alleviate Health and Safety concerns?

It'd be highly impractical. I believe there are rapids rides with seatbelts elsewhere though.

 

[pjanvil]

In fairness, before Battle Galleons there was only 2, right?

I get that a flume is better, but still, it's not a historic low.

I think the regulations on water filtration which came in for new rides around 2000 already made the prospect of any new rapids or flumes unlikely.

For what it's worth - the best log flume in the world and the best rapids in the UK were both at The American Adventure.

Nightmare Niagara was great absolutely but I don't remember anything outstanding or different about the American Adventure rapids other than the Fort St Laurence entrance. Could you elaborate what made it best in UK?

 

[Skyscraper]

Could rapids rides in the future use curve shaped lap bars to alleviate Health and Safety concerns?

Would impede riders' escape in the event of a capsize. Bigger boats have seatbelts as they are less prone to capsizing.

 

[Dave]

My gut feeling is they won’t all disappear overnight but they use up a lot of space and are a nightmare to operate with new H&S rules so will be prime for redevelopment. Hopefully with a replacement water ride

 

[WillPS]

Nightmare Niagara was great absolutely but I don't remember anything outstanding or different about the American Adventure rapids other than the Fort St Laurence entrance. Could you elaborate what made it best in UK?

When everything was working correctly it was fast and would chuck you in to wave after wave. The boats were huge and the thing just felt mighty.

In common with all rapids, it was less good when it wasn't working properly, and it didn't work properly for 3 or 4 years in the early 00s (before being fixed for '06 after being SBNO in '05).

 

[Benjsh]

I think we'll see the CRR get rethemed and overhauled before 2027 / 2028, probably as part of a re-theme of the entire Katanga Canyon area. I don't see them getting rid of the ride as the gap it would leave in the ride offering wouldn't be good and also the physical space it would leave too wouldn't be easily filled. A coaster could go there I suppose but it would look a bit daft in the Rapids Trench IMO.

Sprucing up the Rapids, giving the Mine Train a bit of TLC and adding a new flat ride to the area (if there's room) would be a good investment for Towers. I'm sure it's on the long term agenda.