New waterslides now open at Carowinds

Dorsal Fin Drop, Surfer's Swell bring new sliding thrills to Boomerang Bay!

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Jun 24, 2014, 11:20 ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Carowinds, Thrill Capital of the Southeast, is excited to open two new water slides in their waterpark Boomerang Bay Friday June 20. The new slides will stand over 4 stories high and add 600+feet of sliding fun, bringing new thrills and splashes to the popular water park.

They'll offer two distinctively different rides unique to Boomerang Bay.

Surfer's Swell will travel a total of 263 feet; riders will plunge downward through a tunnel then swoop up onto an angled wall that mimics the sensation of catching an ocean wave. Guests then gracefully enter a final tunnel for a fun 'splash landing' into a pool at the bottom of this 45 foot tall experience. Dorsal Fin Drop offers 351 feet of slide and takes riders on the whirl of a lifetime as they gain speed in a curved-tunnel that blasts them into a bowl. Like a shark circling its prey, guests spin and swirl before sliding into the corkscrew exit.

The slides open just in time for the first official day of summer and are the first phase of a multi-year, multi-million dollar, capital investment plan at the park initiated by its parent company Cedar Fair. "Cedar Fair noted the growth in Charlotte and across the Carolinas, and saw an opportunity to grow our park as well," says Bart Kinzel Carowinds VP and General Manager adding, "there are a lot of plans in the works to better serve our guests across all areas from infrastructure to new rides, it's an exciting time."

The new slides will be the premier experience inside Boomerang Bay, the waterpark will now have 2 wave pools, 13 waterslides, and 2 kiddie splash pools with over 2 million gallons of water to help visitors have fun during the areas hot Carolina summers. Riders will need to be 48" in bare feet in order to slide down, each rider will slide down on a single rider inner tube.

First Riders

A group of special kids from the University City YMCA, a branch of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, got to enjoy the experience first. When the slides were announced in September 2013 they didn't know how to swim, and never could have imagined themselves swooshing down the exciting twists and curves of Carowinds new slides. After 9 months of weekly lessons sponsored by Carowinds the kids became the honorary first riders down Dorsal Fin Drop and Surfer's Swell.

"We are so grateful to Carowinds for providing the opportunity for these 15 children to learn to swim," says Matt Fitzwater, University City YMCA Executive Director. "This is not just a fun activity but a life-saving skill. This group represents the confidence and safety that comes with swim lessons."

Check out all the summer events, and new sliding fun on the parks social media channels http://www.facebook.com/carowindspark, http://www.youtube.com/user/CarowindsPR, on twitter and Instagram find them @carowindspark. For information on park schedule, prices and attractions head to www.carowinds.com.

Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: "FUN") is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio. The Company, which owns and operates 11 amusement parks, three outdoor water parks, one indoor water park and five hotels, is one of the largest regional amusement park operators in the world. Its parks are located in Ohio, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, and Toronto, Ontario. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in California under a management contract. Cedar Fair's flagship park, Cedar Point, has been consistently voted the "Best Amusement Park in the World" in a prestigious annual poll conducted by Amusement Today newspaper.