Case Study: Marassi Water World
Creating Africa’s Largest Water Park
As Marassi celebrates its 15-year anniversary, it continues to redefine the concept of refined living intertwined with exceptional entertainment. This prestigious mixed-use development by Emaar, located on Egypt’s breathtaking north coast and spanning 6.5 million square meters, seamlessly merges opulence and excitement. Adding to its allure, the recent expansion introduced the sensational Marassi Water World, further enhancing the offerings for visitors seeking shared experiences and thrills.
Unveiled in 2022, Marassi Water World swiftly earned its distinction as Africa’s largest water park, covering an expansive 10,000 square meters of land. This remarkable achievement was made possible through meticulous planning and optimized engineering, allowing the project to be completed within an impressive timeframe of under a year.
The park’s design exudes luxury, with its water slides adorned in captivating cool blue and white hues that elegantly complement the picturesque coastal surroundings. Every detail has been thoughtfully crafted to create an upscale ambiance, enhancing the overall experience for visitors to create an unforgettable visit that is not just a day at the water park, but a visit to the brand that is Marassi Water World.
Embracing Local Culture
Marassi Water World goes above and beyond to provide a unique offering that respects and embraces local cultural norms. One of its notable initiatives is the hosting of ladies’ night events. These special occasions offer women the opportunity to indulge in water-based recreational activities in an environment catered to their needs. With an all-female staff, Marassi Water World ensures a welcoming, inclusive, and safe space where women can fully enjoy the park’s attractions. To further enhance comfort and privacy, a strict no-phone and no-photography policy is implemented during these events, allowing women to feel at ease and freely wear whatever attire they choose. By organizing ladies’ night events, Marassi Water World demonstrates its commitment to creating a memorable and enjoyable experience for all visitors while honoring and embracing the diverse cultural values of its local community.
Overview, Marassi Water World, Egypt
Enhancing the Experience with Design
One of the water park’s biggest differentiators is its water slide towers, which go beyond the ordinary and seamlessly integrate with the gorgeous coastal surroundings. The three water slide towers feature transparent cladding, offering uninterrupted views of the stunning scenery and lush green landscape. This unique design creates harmony between the structures and the natural beauty, enhancing the overall experience. Guests can enjoy mesmerizing vistas as they eagerly await their turn to descend the thrilling slides. The park’s commitment to providing a unique and harmonious setting showcases its dedication to an unforgettable experience with breathtaking views and a seamless connection with nature; Marassi Water World offers an exceptional attraction that stands out among traditional water parks.
With a ride mix fit for the whole family, Marassi Water World boasts more than nine exhilarating water slides, an AquaPlay 1050, a FlowRider® Double, and a Wave River. Designed to cater to individuals of all ages, the park appeals to both residents and non-residents alike. With its diverse range of offerings, Marassi Water World ensures that families can embark on unforgettable adventures together. To optimize the overall experience, WhiteWater meticulously planned its layout, dividing it into five distinct zones for easy guest navigation. The five zones are:
- Hydrofalls Thrill Tower with adrenaline-inducing water slides
- Wave River & FlowRider to help with passive capacity
- Splash Adventure & Kids Slides for younger tots
- The Plunge with the region’s first Tailspin water slide
- The Vortex with the continent’s first family raft rides
Hydrofalls Thrill Tower
High-Speed Body Slide Complex
Hydrofalls Thrill Tower, the first of the three slide towers in the park, offers an exhilarating experience focused on speed. Its standout attraction is the Whizzard mat racer, featuring four lanes adorned with various shades of blue and white. This slide’s competitive nature encourages repeat ridership as challengers strive for different outcomes.
For those seeking an adrenaline rush, the excitement continues as they ascend to the tower’s highest point, towering at 19.9 meters. Here, Marassi presents three high-speed water slides: Freefall, AquaLoop, and Flatline Loop. Freefall dares riders to confront their fears by propelling them off the tower into an enclosed entrance, building anticipation before a sudden drop. On the other hand, Flatline Loop and AquaLoop offer heart-pounding experiences inside AquaLaunch capsules. A countdown amplifies the anticipation before the trapdoor opens, sending riders screaming into a plummet. AquaLoop, constructed with translucent fiberglass, provides a visually stunning experience as riders defy gravity by traversing a 360-degree loop, earning well-deserved bragging rights.
High-Speed Body Slide Complex, Marassi Water World, Egypt
Wave River
The Wave River at Marassi Water World serves as a tranquil feature that complements the park’s active attractions. Specifically designed to encircle the thrill tower and FlowRider Double, it offers visitors a delightful vantage point to unwind and enjoy the park’s ambiance. Spanning an impressive length of 190 meters, guests can float along the river while observing the exhilarating rides in action. From this serene vantage point, they can witness the exciting races on the Whizzard slides and marvel at the AquaLoop’s iconic 360-degree twist as riders soar through the loop.
Wave River, Marassi Water World, Egypt
FlowRider® Double
Located within this zone is another exciting and repeatable activity: flowboarding. Featuring the renowned FlowRider surf machine, it entices guests to return multiple times to enhance their skills on the simulated waves. Strategically positioned adjacent to the Surf’s Up food and beverage outlet, spectators can savor their drinks while enjoying the thrilling spectacle of two guests showcasing their prowess on the FlowRider Double. Separated by an inflatable divider, these riders can perform impressive drop knee 360° tricks or experience wipeouts simultaneously, creating an entertaining experience for onlookers.
FlowRider Double, Marassi Water World, Egypt
Splash Adventure (AquaPlay 1050)
In collaboration with Life Floor and WhiteWater, Marassi Water World offers a kid-friendly area that caters to children of all ages. At the heart of this zone lies the AquaPlay 1050, an interactive water play structure boasting over 97 jets and play features. This structure houses five slides of varying excitement levels, ranging from 1 to 6 meters in height. Immersed in a jungle-themed environment, Splash Adventure transports visitors from the Mediterranean into a lush landscape where wild creatures roam. Beneath the aquatic play structure, Africa’s first installation of Life Floor can be found, encompassing 597 square meters (6,426 square feet) of Life Floor tiles arranged in a gradient design. Unlike concrete, these foam-rubber tiles do not heat up under the hot Middle Eastern temperatures, ensuring a safe and comfortable playing experience for guests.
Adjacent to the AquaPlay structure, a shallow pool accommodates three kids’ slides designed to provide a gentle yet thrilling experience for the little ones. Featuring Life Floor landing pads, these slides offer impact absorption, allowing children to enjoy high speeds without worrying about their landing. Adding to the offerings in Splash Adventure, Marassi has also incorporated a splash pad filled with AquaSplash spray toys, providing ground-level entertainment that enhances accessibility and captivates younger children.
This enables parents of younger children to comfortably remain around the play structure while teenagers can independently enjoy the high-thrill attractions. Parents can have peace of mind knowing that they can keep an eye on their teenagers while granting them the freedom to explore exciting rides.
The Plunge (1-2 person inner tube Tower)
Inner Tube Slide Complex
The Plunge inner tube tower at Marassi Water World showcases three distinct water slides, including the region’s first Tailspin. With only three such slides in existence worldwide, Tailspin offers a fusion of thrilling experiences, incorporating elements of speed, spirals, and sensations of light and darkness, creating an exhilarating ride that builds anticipation from start to finish. The excitement begins even before guests embark on the ride, as those on the slide tower can observe riders entering and circling around the signature feature of Tailspin, intensifying their anticipation. Once guests reach the front of the line, they board a 1-2-person inner tube and plunge into darkness. As they navigate the enclosed AquaTube, they are met with a surprising burst of light when they approach the open Tailspin. With a sawtooth finish, the Tailspin feature amplifies the sensation of speed, propelling riders high on the outer wall as they spiral downward across a helical disc at speeds of 27.7 km/h.
The ride cleverly combines the high-banking rotations of a bowl with the rapid descent of a flume. This design offers younger children the reassurance of having a parent or friend behind them in the inner tube, providing a sense of comfort. Older kids, on the other hand, will delight in the ride’s thrilling speed, high-banking turns, and downward spirals, creating an attraction that caters to a wide range of age groups.
The Vortex
Family Raft Slide Complex
The Vortex slide tower at Marassi Water World attracts the highest footfall among all the attractions in the water park. Within this tower, families can enjoy thrilling raft rides, including the first-of-its-kind Abyss slide on the continent. The Abyss is not only impressive in terms of its ride experience but also visually stunning, incorporating three different shades of blue to accentuate the narrowing path of the funnel slide. As riders navigate this colossal attraction, they oscillate along its walls, gliding through each shade before being plunged back into darkness within the enclosed AquaTube.
The Abyss has proven to be a thrilling experience for guests of all ages, offering higher vertical climbs that provide riders with breathtaking views of the surrounding sea followed by exhilarating descents. Rigorous simulations have been conducted to achieve an optimal balance, ensuring more sustained oscillations without the risk of rafts flipping. Additionally, the Abyss’s flat-sided design contributes to water conservation and cost efficiency for the park. By reducing the amount of water required to operate the attraction, Marassi Water World can save money and contribute to the preservation of this precious resource, aligning with sustainability efforts.
Marassi Water World is making a remarkable impact on the Egyptian tourism landscape, offering a water park of unprecedented scale and diversity. With its introduction of never-before-seen attractions on the continent, such as the Abyss and Tailspin water slides, Marassi Water World is redefining the entertainment offerings in the region. Undoubtedly, the park’s grand opening in 2022 positioned itself as one of the most significant leisure developments in the Middle East, contributing to the growth and excitement of the tourism industry.
