Step into a tropical paradise at Adventure Cove Waterpark, a part of Resorts World Sentosa?s Marine Life Park. Filled with mysteries of the ocean and splashing fun in the sun, this Waterpark also offers its guests opportunities to immerse in marine habitats. In the near future, interaction programmes with Indo-?Pacific bottlenose dolphins will be made available.
Here is my review and photo tour of Adventure Cove Waterpark, the ?wet? and outdoors aspect of Marine Life Park. You can also view my aerial photography series covering the construction of Adventure Cove Waterpark here.
I visited the Adventure Cove Waterpark during a preview session on 18th November 2012. Most of the park and attractions were open throughout the day (except for Dolphin Island and the Grotto). Just like my S.E.A. Aquarium trip report, treat this as a ?first impressions? review. I will visit the park again someday for a second look and add on to this review, if necessary.
Previously known as ?Equarius Water Park? or ?Equarius at Sentosa?, Adventure Cove Waterpark is built at the west zone of Resorts World Sentosa. It is placed above S.E.A. Aquarium, its sister attraction in the Marine Life Park umbrella of attractions. This is the second water theme park at Sentosa Island (the first being Fantasy Island, which closed in 2001. The other water theme park in Singapore is Wild Wild Wet at Downtown East.
It is a great venue for thrill seekers and families. There are a variety of slides, lazy river, wave pool, reef snorkeling, ray feeding and more, in a compact waterpark. I can?t compare with similar waterparks as some areas, such as the Grotto building, were closed during the preview. I also can?t seem to remember the last time I went to a similar waterpark anyway. However, there are enough waterslides and things to do there, and the park tickets are reasonably priced.
There is an exceptional focus on safety at Adventure Cove Waterpark. Lifeguards can be found EVERYWHERE (every few metres at Adventure River, and at the end of EVERY slide attraction). Slides have low ride capacity due to safety measures (the float will only be released from the loading area when guests from the preceding float has stepped out of the unloading area). Aquatic Safety crew and Lifeguards work together, using two-way radio to signal if the ride is ready for the next guest.
Food and beverages can be bought at several food and drink carts around the park. It?s standard theme park fare, with a lot of similarities with Universal Studios Singapore. Even the famous Turkey leg is available here.
There are also two restaurants, one of them is The Bay Restaurant:
Meal prices are similar to Universal Studios Singapore (around S$10~13 for a main course with dessert), with the exception of drinks. Only bottle drinks are available (from S$2.50 per bottle) here. Family combo sets are also available.
Souvenir bottles and soda fountain drinks can also be bought around the park. The souvenir bottle at Adventure Cove Waterpark (S$8.80~14.80) comes with unlimited refills, valid only on the day of purchase, of course.
I particularly enjoyed the strange (yes, I would use that term) architecture around Adventure Cove Waterpark, which evokes some sense of adventure and I would say? some mysteries of ancient sea life. The carvings and statues are intricately formed and very imaginative. There are three-headed creatures and dolphins with wings. There is just so much detail and incredible theming at some areas that when there is a more ?clean? or modern structure next to it, it is jarring. I wished the park focused solely on this ancient look, but that might?ve been very challenging and costly to do.
This Waterpark is also filled with some very aggressive park photographers. They are at the Adventure River, Bluwater Bay and roam around dry areas of the park. The photographers at the Adventure River are the most eager to score a sale ? guiding guests? floats around to scenic areas for a few snaps. While they are friendly, they just could not take no for an answer! I?ve encountered this a few times at the Grotto, which sorts of ruined the experience of floating through the impressive theming and mysterious ambiance in this cavern section of the Adventure River. Photographers will ?tag? guests with additional wristbands (simple and good idea, they?re almost impossible to lose), so it?s not surprising to end up with several white wristbands at the end of the day.
The other park staff are extremely courteous ? they are very eager to greet guests and assist them with a smile. It reminds me of the good old days at Universal Studios Singapore (Early 2010).
In terms of merchandise, the park?s retail store, Reef n Wave wear sells all the necessities for a day at Adventure Cove Waterpark. There are also many cute plush toys.. but that particular dolphin plush toy is nowhere to be seen.
Marine Life Park ? Adventure Cove Waterpark is expected to soft open soon with S.E.A. Aquarium. The soft opening date will be announced in a few days.
Ticketing Information
One-Day passes
$29 Adult (Ages 13-59)
$20 Child (Ages 4-12)
$20 Senior (Ages 59 and above)
Annual passes
$88 Adult (Ages 13-59)
$58 Child (Ages 4-12)
$58 Senior (Ages 59 and above)
These annual passes entitle its holder to unlimited admissions to Adventure Cove Waterpark for a year, and includes passholder benefits which will be revealed at a later time.
List of Attractions and Minimum Height Requirements
Adventure Cover Waterpark attractions (Click to expand)Rainbow Reef
Minimum Height Requirement: 107cm
Children under 122cm must be accompanied with a supervising adult.
Guests must be competent swimmers to participate.
Ray Bay
Minimum Height Requirement: 122cm
Children under 122cm must be accompanied with a supervising adult.
Children must be at least 5 years old to participate.
Children aged 5 to 11 years old must be accompanied with a supervising adult who is at least 21 years of age.
Splashworks
Minimum Height Requirement: 140cm
Guests must be competent swimmers to participate.
Bluwater Bay
Children under 122cm must be accompanied with a supervising adult.
Adventure River
Children under 122cm must be accompanied with a supervising adult.
Big Bucket Treehouse
Children under 122cm must be accompanied with a supervising adult.
Seahorse Hideaway
Children under 122cm must be accompanied with a supervising adult.
Riptide Rocket
Minimum Height Requirement: 107cm
Children under 122cm must be accompanied with a supervising adult.
Dueling Racer
Minimum Height Requirement: 107cm
Children under 122cm must be accompanied with a supervising adult.
Tidal Twister
Minimum Height Requirement: 122cm
Pipeline Plunge
Minimum Height Requirement: 122cm
Spiral Washout
Minimum Height Requirement: 122cm
Whirlpool Washout
Minimum Height Requirement: 122cm
Other Important Information
Appropriate Attractions Dress Code
I would suggest that you keep your light footwear (slippers, sandals, swim shoes) on at all times and take them off only when required at the rides. Store them temporarily at the storage racks (see below)
Life Jackets
Available free of charge at the park for weak/non-swimmers. Various sizes are available.
Lockers
Lockers are available at the Waterpark at $2 (small lockers) and $5 (large lockers). The lockers are the same size as the ones in Universal Studios Singapore and around Resorts World Sentosa. These lockers can be rented for an entire day. The lockers can be reopened and locked again without extra fee.
Storage Racks
Storage Racks are provided at some attractions for convenience. Guests should only place inexpensive items here (glasses, slippers, etc). Keep your valuables at the Lockers. Please do not leave jewelry, wallets, cameras and other valuables here.
Entering the Adventure Cove Waterpark
The Entrance to Adventure Cove Waterpark is located behind Maritime Experiential Museum. It?s a long (but rewarding) walk!
How about photos of general areas and theming around the park before we talk about the waterslides and attractions?
It might seem small, but most areas are nicely themed and absolutely clean.
Adventure River
The 620-metre long Adventure River takes guests through a journey around most areas of Adventure Cove. It has a very gentle current, so it could take about 20+ minutes to complete a loop. The scenes are nicely themed at most areas and it is a relaxing ride.
The water depth of the river is 0.9 metres. Guests can ?walk? along the river if they wish. Weak/non-swimmers and children should wear life jackets here.
From here on, the ride goes into the Grotto.
At this point, the Adventure River goes through an Aquarium Tunnel. I think it?s a freshwater aquarium, with some Arowanas and Turtles swimming around. It also goes around the Ray Bay after the Tunnel.
The river goes over the Dolphin Island waterway at two sections.
Not exactly sure what happened here, but it?s an opportunity for an interesting photo.
Ray Bay
Ray Bay is one of Adventure Cove Waterpark?s immersive programmes. Ray feeding is one of possible activities here. Guests will need to wear gloves and boots provided by the park.
Nice design touches to go along with the area.
Dolphin Island
This won?t be ready for a while, but Dolphin Island is beside the Ray Bay. Now that the exportation of Dolphins from Philippines is finally approved, Dolphin Island should be on track for opening in the first half of 2013. This is where Dolphin Interaction Programmes will take place (with the controversial Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins). It is not included in normal admission, so there will be an extra fee.
Rainbow Reef
Reef snorkeling at Rainbow Reef is included in park admission, and not an up-charge as previously thought. There is no limit to how many times you can snorkel here too ? you just to join the queue.
You must be a competent swimmer to experience this attraction. Water goes to 2.9m deep here, so life jackets must be worn at all times. Participants will also be briefed with safety guidelines (and have to respond to lifeguards? signals). There are several lifeguards here keeping watch on guests, and they are ready to jump into the waters to assist if necessary.
If you choose not to take part, there are several viewing panels along Rainbow Reef.
Rainbow Reef bragging rights: 20,000 fishes, 60 species.
Let?s see some of the waterslides and playzones!
Big Bucket Treehouse is an water play area for young and old. The shorter slides here are good starters for the bigger ones around the area.
Water depth is 0.3 metres here.
Whirlpool Washout and Spiral Washout
These are two shorter ?big? waterslides. Two-rider floats are used here (even if you ride alone, carry that large yellow float up!)
Whirlpool Washout is the slide with the ?whirlpool bowl? and it?s pretty fun ? you might even get flushed down the whirlpool backwards! This slide had a much longer queue most of the time.
Spiral Washout (the cone) isn?t as exciting as it looks, though. Floats rock gently at the lower section of the cone and goes down a dark helix section.
This pair of slides share the same entrance, storage racks and float pick-up point. The queue splits when it reaches the stairs, so be sure to queue at the right lane.
Tidal Twister and Pipeline Plunge
These are the big waterslides. There is a choice of single or two-rider floats here.
Just like the Washout waterslides, these two slides share the same entrance, storage racks and float pick-up point. The queue is a long walk and goes deep into the back of Adventure Cove Waterpark, but also splits into two lanes when it reaches the stairs. Remember to queue at the right lane.
Tidal Twister has a mix of cone elements (where floats can spin and end up going into the slide backwards!) while Pipeline Plunge focuses on speed and enclosed (dark!) elements. Tidal Twister had a longer queue most of the time.
Here is an old aerial photo taken many months ago, showing the cone element of Tidal Twister. There is a second cone somewhere down the line.
Riptide Rocket
This is a HydroMAGNETIC HORNET by ProSlide, and the first in Asia apparently. The ride starts off with a deceptively slow conveyor-belt lift hill, and drops into enclosed slide sections, before bursting out into a sharp drop, and a dramatic launch (powered by magnets!) into darkness again! There are also some surprising water sprays and splashes in the enclosed sections.
Aerial view of some parts of the track, taken a few months ago. There are three ?drops and launch hill? sections.
This is of course, something all guests should try. The waiting time for this can get very long due to its low capacity. I?ve only seen three floats being used. Only one float can be released into the ride at any time, and that is only when guests from the preceding float have left the unloading area.
The finale of Riptide Rocket has a sharp helix turn that causes some floats to capsize (or at least tilt to some degree that riders slide off) at the splashdown. Extra thrills, I guess. The splashdown pool has a depth of 1.1 metres, which should be alright for most adults. Parents should take extra care here and be ready to help their children, should the float overturn.
Dueling Racer
This is (surprisingly) one of the most exciting and fun slides, in my opinion. The first parts of slides are fast and thrilling, and the end could either be a surprising splash or something else (my foam mat sort of flipped over once when I slowed down).
For your own safety, read and follow the safety instructions provided at the loading area!
Blue foam mats with handles are used here. Very comfortable and easy to use.
Splashworks
Located next to Rainbow Reef, Splashworks is an activity area for adept swimmers. There are three types of ?walking? activities (a balance beam, tight rope and rope net), two platforms to jump into the water and a burma bridge. The last activity here is a rope climb (with a bell to ring at the top!)
The water depth is 4.0 metres deep here. You MUST be a competent swimmer to take part in any of the activities here.
Bluwater Bay
Adventure Cove Waterpark?s wave pool might seem small, but it is sufficient to function as a ?float around and relax? pool.
The deepest section of this wave pool is 1.6 metres deep. Wave height varies, and can go up to 2.0 metres. Weak/non-swimmers and children should wear life jackets while in the wave pool.
The transparent floats from Adventure River can be used here. Sometimes you don?t even need to walk to the float pick-up area, there?s so many left around the area.
Whether you are floating in the pool or sitting at the deck chairs, this is a nice place to chill out. While I thought that the wave pool was small, it was quite fun to float around with its gentle waves. Here?s a tip: Get onto a float and paddle into inner section of Bluwater Bay before the waves start. Be aware that there is a safety line at the deep end (1.6m) and for your own safety, you should not go close to that line. Try to stay around the 1.4m point.
The waves start every 15 minutes. I?m not sure how long they last, though.
That?s all from me for now. I hope you enjoyed this long photo tour of Adventure Cove Waterpark. Feel free to leave your thoughts about the park!
Why not view the aerial photography series tracking the construction of Adventure Cove Waterpark?
And just like S.E.A. Aquarium, I will visit Adventure Cove Waterpark again for a second look.
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Source: http://dejiki.com/2012/11/marine-life-park-adventure-cove-waterpark-review/
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