It has been smokin' hot lately in San Diego! What better way to beat the heat and cool off than to splish splash at South Bay's only water park! We did just that at Aquatica by Sea World, located in Chula Vista.
The park opened at 10 am, but my friend and her son, who joined me and my boy, recommended we get there early so we can be one of the first ones in. Why? In order to claim coveted chairs under shade! We got there at 9:45 and there was already a small line! No worries, as soon as we were in, we took a hard left and scurried over to Big Surf Shores, the giant wave pool!
In the sea of empty seats, we situated ourselves under the large blue canopy!
We lathered up with some sunscreen, (make sure you apply often, as my shoulders are still peeling as I write this!) and headed in. We had the pool to ourselves! The attraction displays a count down clock as to when the waves will start. The waves can get as tall as 5 feet and the wave cycle lasts a good 10-15 minutes!
I limited my son to the more shallow end of the pool as he doesn't know how to swim well yet, but don't fret, Aquatica has tons of life jackets to borrow for the safety of your kiddos! Lifeguards were everywhere too!
Its a good idea to bring some flip flops as the pavement can get pretty hot as the day warms up. We didn't bring much as we didn't want to leave valuables unsupervised. They do have lockers available to rent if you want to be extra careful with your personal items!
I loved the whole color scheme of the park, everything was bright and clean! Sea World took the park over from Knott's in 2013. Even the landscape along the walkways were lush with beautiful greenery!
Next, our boys picked up some inner tubes and headed over to Woohoo Falls! This ride has a choice of open or enclosed slides. The lines for the enclosed slides were much shorter. Hint, there are two sets of lines for this ride, the entrance on the left side of the receiving pool was for some reason less busy! The boys rode this one three times in a row!
Most of my pictures don't show the kids in them. Why? Because I didn't have the proper equipment to carry my phone with me! So if you would like some pictures of your family having fun, bring along a waterproof case for your phone! I would encourage Sea World to take a note from Disney and hire some park photographers to take pictures all day and scan them into a bracelet you wear, then your pictures are available to view, purchase and even make into a picture book online! Hopefully some day Aquatica!
Next to Woohoo, was Hooroo Run, (who came up with these fun names?). This one was too "thrilling" for our kiddies as it features a steep 80 foot drop! I didn't see many riders on this one actually throughout the day, maybe a bit too scary for adults too!
Taumata Racer was next. With this attraction, riders pick up a foam-like board at the entrance and ride it down head first. You do actually race at the "go" of the employee!
Then it was time to slow... it... down. We floated on an inner tubes down Loggerhead Lane!
I would recommend doing this one early in the day as this lazy river ride gets crowded. You pass by the waterfalls seen in the back and you also pass by these pink creatures! FLAMINGOs!
It was then time for lunch! Aquatica has a collection of different "shacks" that sell standard park fare: hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, chicken strips, etc...Standard also was the pricing that one would expect of any park. You cannot bring in any food, but you are allowed one bottled water per person. My son had chicken strips and I had a Chicken Caesar wrap. For those that choose to leave food in the car and dine outside the park, there are picnic tables located on the other side of the parking lot for families to use.
After lunch, we walked around a bit to explore the rest of the park. I was up to riding this ride since it is a group one, but the kids didn't want to wait in the long line! I think this one would've been fun!
We looked at Tassie's Twister, but hearing the screams of the riders going up and about and then watching them twist around like a tornado in the cone shaped hole raise my vertigo red flag! No go for this mommy!
Instead, the kids explored this water playground,Walkabout Waters. Four stories of fun! Every five minutes the giant bucket dumps out water!
The boys spent a good half hour here, climbing, going down slides, and waiting for the bucket dump!
Then, they wanted to go back to the wave pool! This time, it was way more crowded!
You can see in the back of this picture a bunch of cabanas that you can rent for the day. There are three levels: Ultimate, Premium, and Standard. They go pretty fast, so I would recommend reserving one in advance. You can do this online or right when you enter the park! There is also a cashless wristband service that seems pretty convenient!
We then took a break for some Dippin' Dots! I remember this being the ice cream of the future! In this section, visitors could also indulge in icees, churros, popcorn, turkey legs, and some stir fry!
The kids probably could have stayed until the park closed, but these moms were pooped! After showering off and changing clothes, it was time to call it a day, a great one at Aquatica for sure! I have to say that I was very impressed with the well thought out layout of the restrooms/showers/changing rooms and the cleanliness of the whole park. They had something for everyone to enjoy!
We had a fantastic time and will definitely be back! Aquatica is open every day until Labor Day and then only on weekends until the end of September! Right now there is a promotion of kid's free with a paid adult! Go visit soon!
Disclaimer: I was provided complimentary tickets. All opinions are my own.
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