CultureMap POV Video
Inside new thrill ride: High-speed water slide through belly of the beast is a real scream
Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Water Park's new body slide, Screaming Serpents, is an experience for the senses, giving riders 10 seconds of neon lights, fog, sounds and speed. The Galveston water park unveiled the new ride just in time for summer thrill-seekers to cool off while getting their adrenalin fix.
"It's intense and it speeds up to 40 miles per hours, but close your eyes, it will be over in 10 seconds."
"It's our first totally immersive ride experience here at this park," says Chris Ozimek, director of sales and marketing for Schlitterbahn Galveston. "You actually enter through fog and sound effects, and as you go through the ride there are rings of light that you pass through that cause a crazy sensation. And then you splash down at the bottom back out of their mouths into more fog and sound. It definitely is a high thrills extreme ride. But it's very smooth.
"It's intense and it speeds up, you got up to 40 miles per hours. But close your eyes, it will be over in 10 seconds."
Screaming Serpents, which replaces the F5 twisting slides, takes riders along more than 280-feet of speeding through the belly of the beast, twisting two-and-half times before spilling out of the serpent's mouth and into the splash zone.
It sounds intimidating, but even young riders like my daughters, Carleigh and Jillian, jumped at the opportunity to zoom through the orange and green tubes. Passing the height requirement of 48 inches without any issue, GoPro cameras firmly in place, the girls walked the six-story ramp to the ride — and hopped in.
Ten seconds later the verdict was in.
"Let's go again!"
See the video above that takes you inside the ride as it happens.
Screaming Serpents is located in the Blastenhoff area of the park. Look for the ride to be featured on Travel Channel's Xtreme Waterparks this summer.