Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe
Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe (often simply referred to as Wet 'n Wild or Emerald Pointe) is a water park located in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Wet 'n Wild chain of water parks. It is the 12th largest water park in the United States using over 3 million US gallons (11,000 m3) of water. There are 36 rides including Daredevil Drop, one of the nation's tallest water slides, and family rides such as Tropical Drop.[1] The park also features two heavily themed family sections known as Splash Island, and Happy Harbor. Emerald Pointe is also the largest water park in both of the Carolinas. According to Amusement Business magazine, Emerald Pointe boasts the tenth highest annual attendance among American water parks at nearly 500,000 visitors[2] The park is located on Holden Road just off Interstate 85 Business (North Carolina) in southern Greensboro. The water park opened in 1984, briefly named Aqua Gardens. Through much of the 1980s it was called Water Country USA until it eventually was renamed Emerald Pointe and now Wet'n Wild Emerald Pointe. Major competitors are Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina and Dollywood's Splash Waterpark in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Lifeguards
The lifeguards at Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe are among some of the highest trained professionals. The guards are licensed by Jeff Ellis & Associates, an aquatics consultant company and the guards go through four hours of in service training each month to maintain their skills. Other safety procedures include in house audits performed by Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe as well as unannounced, random audits performed by E&A themselves. An audit can consist of OMD's (Operational Mannequin Drop's) where a lifelike mannequin is dropped into a guard's zone of protection and the lifeguard has 10 seconds to respond, or the audit is failed. VAT (Vigilance Awareness Training) Drops, are similar to an OMD, but consist of using a silhouette or other foreign object that is placed into a guard's zone of protection. Guards are also subject to hidden camera audits both by Wet 'n Wild and Ellis & Associates. The lifeguards are audited and responsible to be test-ready daily, and guests may encounter this highly effective means of training while visiting. This training has been so effective, that Wet 'n Wild has maintained zero drownings while it has been in operation.
Rides and attractions
Current attractions
| Name | Opened | Manufactuer | Type |
|
| Riptide Racer! | 2015 | ProSlide | Four racing mat slides |
| Dr. Von Dark's Tunnel of Terror | 2009 | ProSlide | Enclosed Tornado 24 |
| Dragon's Den | 2005 | ProSlide | Cannon Bowl |
| Tropical Drop | | | Small body slide |
| The Edge | | | Half-pipe water slide |
| Double Barrel Blast | | | Two short freefall body slides |
| Shipwreck Cove | 1984 | | Large pool |
| Lazee River | 1984 | | Lazy river |
| Leisure Lagoon | 1984 | | Small pool |
| Raging Rapids | | | Inline tube slide |
| Runaway Raft Ride | | | Inline tube slide |
| Splash Island | 1984 | | Children's area |
| Scooter Run | 1984 | | Small inline tube slide |
| Happy Harbor | 1984 | | Children's area |
| Blue Streak | | | Enclosed body slide |
| The 360 | | | Enclosed body slide |
| Slidewinder | | | Enclosed body slide |
| Cyclone Zone | | | Toroid-shaped pool |
| Daredevil Drop | | | Freefall body slide |
| Thunder Bay Wave Pool | 1984 | | Wave pool |
| Twin Twisters | | | Two enclosed body slides |
| Soak Zone | 2013 | | Children's area |
Former attractions
| Name | Opened | Closed | Manufactuer | Type |
|
| Bonzai Pipeline/Speed Slides | | 2014 | | Two freefall tube slides |
| White Water Run | | 2008 | | Three inline tube slides |
| Skycoaster | | 2008 | | Skycoaster |
| Pirate's Plunge | | | | Pulley ride |
| Hydro Fighter II | 2001 | 2003 | Caprio | Water roller coaster. |
See also
References
External links
