Coasterpedia:Guide to water slides

Guide to

This is a working list of water slide categorisation. Please feel free to expand it or discuss it on the discussion page.

Definition

For the purpose of this wiki, we define a water slide based on the following criteria:

It has a flow of water
It has a change in elevation
It has a clear start and end
It is constructed using a solid material
It fits into one of the below classes.

Dinghy Waterslides which are located in "dry" parks and not water parks are considered rides not water slides.

Class

A water slide class refers to how the ride is ridden, this can be any of the following

Nothing is used except for the riders own body

The rider sits on a thin mat

The rider sits in an inflatable tube, commonly either ring or raft shaped although can be any shape

The rider sits on a solid sled, usually made of plastic

If a slide has the option to use more than one of the above classes, the class should be set to 'Multi'

Categories

A water slide can be categorised into any of the following based on the elements they contain, for slides that contain multiple elements then multiple categories should be used.

A bowl shaped element where riders circle around the bowl descending into the centre

When the end of the slide is at least 1 metre higher than the pool

A diagonal funnel shaped element where riders oscillate back and forth across the base of the funnel. May or may not have a roof to form a complete funnel.

A U shaped element where the slider rocks back and forth. Unlike a funnel, this slide type does not have an obvious taper.

A slide with interactive elements such as customisable lighting/sound effects or a game element while sliding

A small slide marketed towards young children, generally featuring no minimum height limit and no notable elements

Uses an external propulsion mechanism to launch the rider

An inclined or vertical loop element

Multiple slides with a similar or identical length all starting and ending in a line, intended for riders to be able to race each other

A slide designed to look like a natural river with rough elements.

A slide which features a large drop to accelerate riders to a high speed, they do not include any bends or change in direction

A slide which features a large sphere which is ridden through

A slide which is ridden by standing upright

When the rider is dropped vertically from a platform at the beginning of the ride

A slide where the rider wears a Virtual Reality headset while sliding down

A vertical element that is designed to be ridden up

Not to be confused with a Water roller coaster, a water coaster has sections of upwards propulsion (typically water jets or electromagnets)

A kids play structure containing at least 1 water slide

A wide slide intended for multiple riders, unlike a racer it does not have separated lanes

Water slides rotating around a central pivot

Enclosure

When determining the enclosure of the slide, the entrance (anything before and including the first metre of decline) and run-out (anything including or after the last 1 metre of decline) should be excluded.

Name	Description
Enclosed	When the entire length of the slide is enclosed
Partially enclosed	When the slide contains both enclosed and unenclosed sections
Open	When the entire slide is not enclosed

Environment

When determining the environment of the slide, the entire length including entrance and exit should be consider. For example, when a slide starts inside, then exits the building, then reenters at the end, it should be considered 'Mixed'.

Name	Description
Outdoors	When the entire length of the slide is outside
Mixed	When the slide contains both inside and outside sections
Indoors	When the entire slide is inside a building

Exit

At the end of the slide, riders exit into a pool

The ride ends with a purpose-built flat section where riders come to a halt