Nemesis Nick at Swansea LC Water Park August 2013

Date: Sunday 11 August 2013
Venue: Swansea LC Water Park
Who Went: Just me.

Introduction

Officially this was the final day of RCCGB Mega-Glow-Mania weekend 2013. After the Club visited Folly Farm on Friday 9 August and Oakwood Theme Park on Saturday 10 August, some members chose to spend Sunday 11 August at Heatherton World of Activities. Although I attended both Folly Farm and Oakwood the previous two days, I gave Heatherton a miss for various reasons. Whilst planning my Sunday train travel, I discovered that by leaving Tenby at 11:14, I could reach Swansea around 13:15, and thus enjoy an afternoon session water sliding at Swansea LC Water Park during the rest of the afternoon before resuming my train journey home to Bath in the evening.

Welcome To Swansea LC

I finally reached the LC reception at 14:00. My only concern was how many lockers I would require to store all my luggage. Thankfully I managed to find a tall locker big enough to contain my large holdall, rucksack and laptop bag.

Background Information

The old Swansea Leisure Centre opened in 1977 and closed in 2003. During 2007 the building was gutted out and rebuilt internally at a cost of £32 million. In March 2008, the current LC opened on the site of the old Leisure Centre, and it's completely different to what it used to be inside. I know, I went to the fun pool and slides at the old Swansea Leisure Centre during my week long Swansea holiday in June 2000. The current LC has commonly been known as LC2 (even I've called it that), since the wave logo which appears after the initials LC resembles a 2, but officially it is LC. Logically though, one could say the current LC is the second leisure centre to be housed within the same building shell. This was my third visit to the LC Water Park in its current form, having previously been there early September 2008 and August 2012.

Swansea LC Water Park Features

The water park boasts several features, outlined below.

Aqua Tube

A narrow twisting closed tube water slide, which lands in a catch tray.

Aqua Slide

This water slide is open top all the way down. There's a u-bend to the right just after the start, followed by a straight bit, a bend to the right, a straight bit, u-bend to the left and finally land in a catch tray.

Master Blaster

You need an inflatable tyre to ride this roller coaster water slide. There are several places where it goes up as well as down. If the RCCGB decided to do an organised visit here (e.g. outside the coaster season) this would be the one for us to have an ERS on.

The Aqua Tube, Aqua Slide and Master Blaster were made by Aqua Leisure International, but I don't know the heights of the slides.

Wave Pool

A funny shaped fun pool with wave machine. It's not on continuously, but the wave sessions are quite frequent.

Lazy River

This spurs off the Wave Pool. You swim around clockwise with the flow.

Boardrider

A surf facility which you have to wear a surf suit and helmet for. I think you have to pay extra for it; anyhow I gave this a miss.

All of the above have been there since the place opened in 2008.

Volcano Bay

According to this article, Volcano Bay opened in summer 2010. It's a mock-up of a volcano with a slide descending from it. I didn't bother with this during my visit.

The only extra Swansea LC Water Park could do with is a space bowl. Every good water park should have one. Strangely enough, the old Swansea Leisure Centre actually had a space bowl.

My Session In The Water Park

Having changed I handed my key to an attendant in exchange for a wristband, I was given a green one. The session was officially due to last about two hours. At the end of my session all bathers with green wristbands including me would be asked to leave. The time was 14:10 when I entered the pool area.

I began with eight goes on the Aqua Tube, for which the queuing time was short if at all. Unexpectedly I saw Happy Helen (who was at Oakwood on Saturday) and spoke to her whilst waiting my turn for my first few of these goes on Aqua Tube. However it wasn't long before I didn't see her again; I presume she was on an earlier session to me. Next I enjoyed four goes on Aqua Slide, for which the queues tended to be longer.

As a RCCGB member I was determined to have at least one go on the roller coaster water slide Master Blaster, so I went to get a tyre. I faced quite a lengthy wait for a tyre, and a longer wait at Master Blaster launch point. It was definitely worth the wait though. Seated on my tyre, I set off on the Master Blaster which runs around much of the water park, taking in uphill as well as downhill sections. A mega fun ride which was all over too soon.

Due to the long wait for Master Blaster, I resisted the temptation to queue for it again as I wanted to have as many goes as I could on the other slides during what was left of my two hours. Instead I enjoyed two goes on Aqua Tube followed by two goes on Aqua Slide.

At this point I took a break from sliding to swim a few laps of the Lazy River. Swimming around the Lazy River was also great fun, but after just two laps the wave machine was on, so I went into the main part of the fun pool to enjoy the waves. Once the waves subsided I returned to sliding: two goes on Aqua Slide followed by eight goes on Aqua Tube and another two goes on Aqua Slide.

It was now around two hours since I entered and I still hadn't heard my wristband colour (green) called. A lifeguard told me the place had now quietened down to the extent they didn't need to call colours out, and I could stay longer. As a result, I decided to have one more go on the Master Blaster. Once again the queues for tyres and for the launch point were both quite long, but the ride experience was worth the wait.

I rounded off my visit with one go on Aqua Slide, two goes on Aqua Tube and one more go on Aqua Slide before leaving the pool area at 16:55.

Summary of my sliding in actual order:

Aqua Tube 8
Aqua Slide 4
Master Blaster 1
Aqua Tube 2
Aqua Slide 2

2 laps of Lazy River followed by wave session

Aqua Slide 2
Aqua Tube 8
Aqua Slide 2
Master Blaster 1
Aqua Slide 1
Aqua Tube 2
Aqua Slide 1

Cumulative summary of slides:

Slide	Total
Aqua Slide	12
Aqua Tube	20
Master Blaster	2
TOTAL	34

Plus 2 laps of the Lazy River.

Outro

Highlights

Sliding the Aqua Tube and Aqua Slide.
Two goes on Master Blaster roller coaster water slide.
Unexpectedly meeting and talking to Happy Helen during my first few goes on Aqua Tube.

Lowlights

Long queuing times for the Master Blaster at the collection point and launch point.

Summing Up

A fun afternoon at Swansea LC Water Park to round off Mega-Glow-Mania weekend. It was great to slide the Aqua Tube, Aqua Slide and Master Blaster again one year on from my previous visit in August 2012. The Master Blaster roller coaster water slide is definitely the best of the three. It's a pity the queuing times for tyres and the launch point were so long, which is why I limited myself to just two goes on Master Blaster. Nonetheless two goes this time was better than the one go I had on my August 2012 visit. An unexpected bonus was seeing and talking to Happy Helen, who was at Oakwood on Saturday, during my first few goes on Aqua Tube; it was great seeing another RCCGB member on what was officially the final day of Mega-Glow-Mania weekend.