Oceans of Fun is a tropically themed water park that opened on May 31, 1982, in Kansas City, Missouri, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the adjacent Worlds of Fun amusement park. When it opened, it was the largest water park in the state of Missouri. It is owned and operated by Cedar Fair.
History
On August 31, 2012, Oceans of Fun announced the largest-ever expansion in 2013. It was also announced that Worlds of Fun will no longer be separately gated and be combined with Oceans of Fun. A new slide complex, 65 feet (20 m) tall will also be built including 6 new slides. The water park will be completely renovated, and construction began in 2012.[1] In 2015, Oceans of Fun added swan boats to Buccaneer Bay and Splash Island.[2] In 2019, the park announced that Diamond Head would be closed at the end of the season. The removal of the slide will make way for Riptide Raceway, a mat racing slide. On November 6, 2019, it was announced that Riptide Raceway will be the world's longest slide of its kind coming in at 486 feet long.[3]
Slides and attractions
| Ride | Opened | Height Requirement | Style | Rating[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aruba Tuba | 1993 | Over 42" (under 60" requires a lifejacket) | Inner tube slide | 3 |
| Captain Kidd's | 1996 | Under 54" | Interactive pirate ship for children | 1 |
| Caribbean Cooler | 1987 | Over 42" (under 48" requires a lifejacket, under 42" must be accompanied by adult) | Lazy river | 2 |
| Castaway Cove | 1982 | 21 years or older | Adult restaurant, pool, and swim-up bar | 1 |
| Coconut Cove | 1992 | Over 42" (under 60" requires a lifejacket, under 42" must be accompanied by adult) | Family | 2 |
| Constrictor | 2013 | Over 48" | Enclosed slide | 5 |
| Crocodile Isle | 1989 | Under 54" | Water playground for children | 1 |
| Hurricane Falls | 1999 | Over 46" | Inner tube slide | 5 |
| Paradise Falls | 2003 | Over 40" for large slides(Between 36" and 48" for small slides) | Interactive play structure | 2 |
| Predator's Plunge | 2013 | Over 48" | Drop-launch capsule slides | 5 |
| Riptide Raceway | 2021 | Over 42" | Enclosed mat racing slide | 4 |
| Shark's Revenge | 2013 | Over 48" | Enclosed slide | 5 |
| Splash Island | 2015 | Between 40" and 54" | Interactive kid's area | 1 |
| Surf City Wave Pool | 1982 | Over 42" (under 52" requires a lifejacket, under 42" must be accompanied by adult) | A wave pool with a maximum depth of six feet (altered from eight feet after the 2019 season). | 4 |
| Typhoon | 1983 | Over 48" | Racing slide | 4 |
Incidents
Trey Wallace
On August 24, 2019, a pair of guests in the eight foot section of the one million gallon wave pool summoned lifeguards to enter the water to retrieve the submerged victim, 14-year-old Trey Wallace, who had been under water for sixteen minutes. Though EMTs were able to regain a pulse, Trey Wallace was declared brain dead a week later after his 15th birthday. His organs were donated. In the wrongful death lawsuit which followed, the park settled with the Wallace Family for an unspecified sum. No member of the Aquatics Leadership Team was held accountable for their actions that day.
Adeline Stewart
On July 5, 2022, CPR was performed after extrication on a girl, 6-year-old Adeline Stewart, pulled from Coconut Cove at Oceans of Fun.[5] One eyewitness reported foam coming from her mouth and nose during CPR. The Coconut Cove section of the park was shut down after the incident. On July 12, 2022, media reports indicated that the, "guest in distress," had died from her injuries. A "guest in distress," a term used by Ellis and Associates, the lifeguard certification system in use at Oceans of Fun, for any individual that has been brought out of the water by a lifeguard, in preference to a, "victim," or, "a drowning victim."
References
- ^ "Worlds of Fun Has Big Plans for 2013 Season". NewsPlusNotes. August 31, 2012.
- ^ H, Mike (August 26, 2014). "Worlds of Fun Announces New Water Park Addition for 2015". NewsPlusNotes. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ "New Oceans of Fun Slide to Set World Record".
- ^ Ratings assigned per Worlds of Fun's own system, where "1" is the least intense and "5" is the most. See their "Guest Assistance Guide" (PDF). Worlds of Fun. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2012. for more specific details.
- ^ Cronkleton, Robert (July 18, 2022). "After young girl injured at Oceans of Fun died, the water park made this safety change". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved July 19, 2022.