WhiteWater Marks Soft Opening of Record-BreakingAquarabia Qiddiya City

VANCOUVER, BC, March 22, 2026 — WhiteWater is marking the soft opening of Aquarabia Qiddiya City in Saudi Arabia, a major new destination water theme park that brings together more than 22 rides and attractions across a highly varied, fully themed guest experience. 

For WhiteWater, the project reflects the growing scale and complexity of destination water theme parks. Across Aquarabia Qiddiya City’s themed zones, WhiteWater’s scope includes record-breaking water slides, water rides, a surf attraction, and custom ride vehicles, supported by in-house engineering and delivery expertise. On projects of this size, that breadth matters. It helps reduce fragmentation across suppliers, simplify integration, and create a more cohesive experience for both guests and operators. 

A Project Defined by Scale and Scope 

Located within Qiddiya City, Aquarabia Qiddiya City spans more than 250,000 square meters and is organized into eight themed zones inspired by regional wildlife and natural landscapes. Among the water theme park’s standout features are four record-breaking water slides that push the boundaries of ride design.

One of the most prominent is Junoon Drop in Camel Rock, the world’s tallest and longest Family Master Blaster at more than 42 meters high. Combining a Family Blaster, Constrictor, and Boomerango in a single attraction, the slide sends guests up hills and down major drops in custom seven-person rafts engineered by WhiteWater. Designed with higher walls, the rafts allow guests in street clothes to stay dry while still experiencing one of the park’s signature attractions. 

A Unique Attraction Mix Across the Park 

Aquarabia Qiddiya City represents a new direction in water theme park design: a melding of traditional water theme park products with complementary rides not normally associated with water theme parks. Just in Viper Canyon, guests will encounter the world’s first underwater Aquaticars from Sub Sea Systems, WhiteWater’s 360-degree spinning SlideWheel®, and even more unusual, a Shoot the Chute Water Ride, also from WhiteWater. Named Hyper Viper, this water ride delivers a 15-meter drop and a dramatic splash experience for riders and spectators alike, adding another dimension to the park’s experiences. 

Elsewhere, the Wave Wadi zone is home to another water ride, Wadi Tahaddi, WhiteWater’s Spinning Rapids Water Ride, which expands the experience mix with a six-person boat ride through 600 meters of rapids and spinning action. The zone also includes a wave pool from WhiteWater, distinct from the park’s surf area. 

A New Kind of Guest Engagement 

Beyond slides and water rides, Aquarabia Qiddiya City also hosts a surf zone, Surf Lagoon, powered by Endless Surf. Designed for surfers of different skill levels, the system allows operators to adjust wave size and shape to serve a broad range of guests. Surf offers a new ‘cool’ kind of guest engagement to the attraction mix: one built not only on thrills, but also on repeatability, skill progression, and the surf lifestyle appeal. 

“Aquarabia Qiddiya City is the kind of project that shows why breadth of experience matters,” said Geoff Chutter, CEO of WhiteWater. “This park brings together record-breaking slides, water rides, surf experiences, custom ride vehicles, and complex engineering across a single destination. Projects at this scale cannot be delivered as disconnected pieces. They require a partner with the product range, technical depth, and experience to help make the whole park work together.” 

“It has been incredible for our local team to be so closely involved in this project,” said Mina Saad, Middle East & India Manager, Project Services at WhiteWater. “To see such an ambitious project come to life has been inspiring. The fact that it so closely mirrors the concept sketches is a testament to the strong collaboration of all parties and, of course, an exceptional client. Together, we’ve delivered a destination the region can take pride in, setting a new benchmark for waterparks globally.” 

Engineered for Complex Delivery 

Another major part of WhiteWater’s contribution was the development of custom dry rafts as seen on Junoon Drop and other select slides throughout the water theme park. Rather than relying on standard ride vehicles, WhiteWater designed dry rafts to support shared ride experiences and accommodate anyone who would prefer to stay in their street clothes.

That work required coordination across structural engineering, propulsion calibration, load analysis, and station design to support smooth dispatch, balanced loading, and consistent ride performance. The result is a more flexible ride, with wider guest appeal for the cultural needs of this region, and the ability to extend seasons in other regions.  

Built for Delivery at Scale 

“What makes a project like Aquarabia Qiddiya City epic is not one headline attraction. It is the number of different ride types, their associated technologies, and the various teams that all have to come together successfully,” said Onno Meeter, President, Water Parks at WhiteWater. “From custom raft design and ride engineering to installation, commissioning, and long-term operational performance, this project required deep in-house capability across the full delivery cycle. That is where WhiteWater adds value on projects of this scale.” 

As destination water parks continue to grow in ambition, Aquarabia Qiddiya City is at the forefront of this developing ‘water theme park’ trend. While a water theme parklike Aquarabia Qiddiya City is a once-in-a-lifetime destination, its inclusion of non-traditional attractions, immersive theming, and the adaptation of slides for local climate and culture will be seen in water theme parks of all sizes for years to come. For developers and operators, projects like this raise the bar for what a delivery partner must be able to provide. For WhiteWater, Aquarabia is a clear example of how product breadth, engineering integration, and execution experience come together on a project of this scale.