Nemesis Nick at Swansea LC Water Park August 2015

Date: Sunday 9 August 2015
Venue: Swansea LC Water Park
Who Went: Just me.

Introduction

Officially this was the final day of RCCGB Mega-Glow-Mania weekend 2015. After the Club visited Folly Farm on Friday 7 August and Oakwood Theme Park on Saturday 8 August, some members chose to spend Sunday 9 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 Kilgetty at 11:26, I could reach Swansea around 13:15, and thus enjoy a session of 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 around 13:50. Unlike last year, I was able to get in straightaway this time, so I bought a ticket for the session starting at 14:15. Without further ado I proceeded to the changing rooms where 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 fifth visit to the LC Water Park in its current form, having previously been there early September 2008, August 2012, August 2013 and August 2014.

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. This slide is really fast.

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. This slide gives a longer and slower ride than Aqua Tube.

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

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. The session was officially due to last about two hours. I've forgotten which colour wristband I was given, but anyway when that particular colour was called, all bathers with wristbands of that colour including me would be asked to leave.

I entered the pool and slides area at 14:15 and headed straight for the slides. When I got to the launch point the shortest queue was for the Aqua Tube, so I began by sliding Aqua Tube six times. The waiting time for Aqua Tube varied; on some of those goes there were only one or two others in front of me. Each go on Aqua Tube was fast and fun. Next I enjoyed three goes on Aqua Slide. Just like my previous visits its queue tended to be longer, but each go was worth the wait.

As a RCCGB member, I was determined to go on the roller coaster water slide Master Blaster, so I went to get a tyre. Thankfully the queue for tyres was fairly short when I got there. Having collected a tyre a few minutes later I went up the stairs and joined another queue for the launch point. When it was my turn to slide, the lifeguard asked me if I'd been on this before; I said I'd been on this on previous visits to Swansea LC and similar slides elsewhere. Seated on my tyre, I set off on the Master Blaster around much of the water park, taking in uphill as well as downhill sections. This was a mega fun ride which was all over too soon. When I reached the end the queue for tyres was longer so I didn't bother having another go at this stage.

Next I enjoyed another six goes on the Aqua Tube. Just like earlier, the waiting time for each go varied. After that I fancied another go on the Master Blaster, as the queue for tyres was quite short. Having obtained a tyre I queued for the slide launch point and, when it was my turn, enjoyed my second go of the day on the Master Blaster. When I reached the end the queue for tyres was still short, so I queued again for a tyre, and once I had one queued again for the Master Blaster launch point. Having reached the end this time the queue for tyres was longer so I didn't bother queueing for a tyre again, but anyway this was my first time ever of having two goes straight off on the Master Blaster at Swansea LC.

About two hours had now passed since I entered and I still hadn't heard my wristband colour called. A lifeguard told me the place wasn't busy enough for them to have to call colours out, and I could stay longer. Due to my desire to go to Wetherspoon for a meal afterwards and still return to the station in good time for the 18:24 London Paddington train, I knew I couldn't stay much longer anyway. During my remaining time in the pool and slides area, I enjoyed one go on the Aqua Slide and two goes on the Aqua Tube, followed by one more go on the Aqua Slide and two more goes on the Aqua Tube. I finally left the pool area at 16:27

Summary of my sliding in actual order:

Aqua Tube 6
Aqua Slide 3
Master Blaster 1
Aqua Tube 6
Master Blaster 2
Aqua Slide 1
Aqua Tube 2
Aqua Slide 1
Aqua Tube 2

Cumulative summary of slides:

Slide	Total
Aqua Slide	5
Aqua Tube	16
Master Blaster	3
TOTAL	24

Outro

Highlights

Sliding the Aqua Tube and Aqua Slide.
Three goes on Master Blaster roller coaster water slide, my highest number to-date for a single visit.

Lowlights

Queuing time for Aqua Slide generally longer than Aqua Tube, hence fewer goes on Aqua Slide than Aqua Tube.

Summing Up

Altogether a wet and wild afternoon session 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 2014. The Master Blaster roller coaster water slide is definitely the best of the three. It was great to have three goes on the Master Blaster in one session for the first time ever. That's my highest number of goes on the Master Blaster to-date for a single visit to Swansea LC. Just like last year I didn't go in the Wave Pool or Lazy River at all this visit, as I wanted to have as many slides as I could.

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