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Oakwood splashes out on new water ride
Oakwood Park has officially opened its new £1.7m white-knuckle water ride, known as Hydro - or Water's Revenge.
The 121ft high ride, from Swiss manufacturer Intamin, drops 111ft into a plunge pool containing a million gallons of water.
Riders are winched upwards in a 24-seater boat, which, upon reaching the top, accelerates around a 180 degree descending curve before reaching the near vertical drop. Reaching a top speed of 80kph, the boat creates a wave 45ft tall and 100ft long when it hits the plunge pool.
Spectators can watch and take photographs from a special observation bridge - though may get just as wet as the riders.
The park claims that Water's Revenge is the first ride of its type to include an 85 degree angle and is the tallest, steepest, wettest water ride in Europe. The steep drop is made possible by a magnetic braking system developed by Intamin allowing the operator to control the speed of the boat and the size of the splash.
The ride, which lasts around two and a half minutes and has a capacity of 600 people per hour, is 40ft taller than Oakwood's award-winning rollercoaster, Megaphobia.
Paddy McNamara, Oakwood managing director: 'Hydro is Europe's tallest, steepest water ride, hitting a million gallons of water at 80 kilometres an hour and producing a gigantic wave.' Details: www.oakwood-leisure.com