Nemesis Nick at Swansea LC Water Park August 2016

Date: Sunday 14 August 2016
Venue: Swansea LC Water Park
Who Went: Just me.

Introduction

Officially this was the final day of RCCGB Mega-GLOW-Mania weekend 2016. After the Club visited Folly Farm on Friday 12 August and Oakwood Theme Park on Saturday 13 August, some members chose to spend Sunday 14 August at Heatherton World of Activities. Although I attended 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 11:31, 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 13:30, and managed to get in straightaway. My ticket was for the session starting at 13:45. Without further ado I proceeded to the changing rooms where I had no problem finding 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 sixth visit to the LC Water Park in its current form, having previously been there early September 2008, August 2012, August 2013, August 2014 and August 2015.

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

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. My ticket specified an entry time of 13:45, however it was 13:50 when I was about to enter the pool area. The session was officially due to last about two hours. My wristband was blue, and when that particular colour was called, all bathers with blue wristbands including me would be asked to leave.

Once in the pool area, I took straight to the slides, starting with two goes on the Aqua Tube. Next I had two goes on the Aqua Slide. After that I approached the Master Blaster tyre queue, but because it was too long for my liking, I had another four goes on Aqua Tube.

The queue for tyres was now shorter, so I waited for a tyre to have my first go on Master Blaster. 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, I sat on my tyre and set off on the Master Blaster, which runs 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 still quite short, so I queued for another tyre to have a second go on Master Blaster. After that I had four more goes on the Aqua Tube.

Having given the fun pool a miss the last two years, I was determined to go in it for at least one wave session this time. Suddenly the waves were about to start, so I went in the pool whilst the waves were on. Once the waves subsided I returned to the slides: two goes on Aqua Slide followed by four goes on Aqua Tube.

My session was officially due to end at 15:45, but so far I hadn't heard any wristband colours from previous sessions 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 18:51 London Paddington train, I knew I would have to be out of the pool area by around 16:30.

Next I enjoyed three goes on Master Blaster. The queues for tyres and the launch point were both surprisingly short, hence why I had three goes straight off for the first time ever. Thus I had now achieved my highest Master Blaster count to-date for a single visit to Swansea LC Water Park. I finished off with four goes on Aqua Tube and one go on Aqua Slide. I finally left the pool area around 16:30 and building just before 16:50.

Summary of my sliding in actual order:

Aqua Tube 2
Aqua Slide 2
Aqua Tube 4
Master Blaster 2
Aqua Tube 4
Waves
Aqua Slide 2
Aqua Tube 4
Master Blaster 3
Aqua Tube 4
Aqua Slide 1

Cumulative summary of slides:

Slide	Total
Aqua Slide	5
Aqua Tube	18
Master Blaster	5
TOTAL	28

Outro

Highlights

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

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 2015. The Master Blaster roller coaster water slide is definitely the best of the three. I was amazed I managed to get five goes on the Master Blaster in one session for the first time ever; I didn't expect to have that many goes on it. That's my highest number of goes on the Master Blaster to-date for a single visit to Swansea LC. In fact my overall slide count was slightly higher than my visit here last year, which is impressive. It was also great fun going in the pool during one wave session this time, but once again, I didn't go in the Lazy River at all.

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