With a new season of Jersey Shore airing this month, I thought it would be appropriate to reminisce about a Jersey Shore destination that featured prominently in my childhood: Water Works
On a side note, I also stumbled upon a description of Water Works on
Domain of Death and found it severely lacking, so I thought a write up that included proper names of the rides was needed.
Water Works was a water park that occupied a full block in Seaside Heights. I believe the park first opened in the summer of 1988 and operated as Water Works until around 2000 (if anyone has exact dates of operation, please let me know). I specifically remember our family of six opting every year for the 9am entrance because Water Works was a pay-by-the hour joint. Typically, you'd pay your entrance fee and they'd give you a wristband to wear that was good for 2 hours. i.e. if you came in at 10am, they'd give you a wristband with blue stars on it. Around noon they'd announce over the loud speaker "Attention! It is now time for guests wearing the blue star wristband to exit the park." Buuuuut (here's where the beauty of 9am entrance came in..) if you entered the park at 9am, you got an EXTRA HOUR FREEEEEE! That's right folks, 3 beautiful hours at the park for the same low price as the regular 2 hour entrance. Of course, entering a water park at 9am had its down sides as well. Even in August, 9am in NJ is a little chilly, but as a kid, you quickly get over the cold because Water Works was just that much fun.
Upon entering the park, one could purchase a locker in which to store one's things. Then some poor member of your group then had to wear the key to the locker around his/her wrist or ankle for the remainder of the day.
Now, on to a description of the rides.
Double Dive
The double dive was the most daunting ride at Water Works. You could easily see the Double Dive from Ocean Avenue and the boardwalk just outside of the park. It consisted of two nearly vertical slides towering 80 feet in the air. A rider simply waited for the staff member to tell him to go, then legs crossed, arms crossed, down you plummet into a shallow splash lane, which impeded your progress and prevented the rider from catapulting into the lounge chairs at the bottom of the slide. (Anyone remember those chairs? They had those horizontal plastic bands that could pinch your skin or leave lines on your legs/butt if you sat on them for too long. They also got really hot when exposed to the sunlight for too long.). The Double Dive was a great ride for spectators as well. Inevitably, someone would go down the slide (usually scared to death) and upon entering the splash lane, the rider would sit up, discreetly pick his wedgie, then continue on to the next ride. My first experience with the Double Dive was one I will never forget. It took me a few years to get up the nerve to go down the slide. I took someone's wise advice and didn't look down, didn't hesitate when it was my turn. As soon as the lifeguard said "go," I was gone. The ride was actually really fun until I realized what the "double" in Double Dive meant. No, no, the "double" was not because there were two slides. The "double" was because this ride did double duty. Task #1: serve as a fun ride for thrill seekers brave enough to conquer it. Task #2: Enema. I assert that the human body was not intended to travel at such high speed skimming water along the way. No only did I have the worst wedgie in life when the ride was over, but I swear my 10-year old self was crapping water for weeks (I never promised this was a clean blog). And yes, I went on the Double Dive again...many times, but no ride was ever as bad as my first experience.
Super Twist
The Super Twist consisted of dueling enclosed tubes or pipes that traveled across the width of the park and ended in splash lanes right next to the infamous Double Dive. Despite my rather unfortunate experience with the Double Dive (I swear, I'm not the only one), the Super Twist was by far the most frightening ride at Water Works. I went on it twice, but after that, I vowed never to go on that ride again. The concept of the Super Twist was fun, but because Water Works operated during the inaugural days of water parks in America, I don't think they had the execution of rides down to a science just yet. The idea was that a current from stream of water inside the pipe would carry the rider through the pipe to the opposite end of the park. The current was aided by the eventual downward dip in the orientation of the pipes, which allowed gravity to have a heavy hand in transporting the rider. But here's problem #1 with the Super Twist (and the source of the ride's name): The two pipes twisted around each other as they crossed the park. Whoever designed the ride must have thought an immediate twist of the pipes was a great idea. I say not. About 10 feet from the entrance of the pipes, the left pipe twisted over the right. 10 feet is not enough space for one to build up momentum to get over another pipe. The rider in the right pipe was fine. His pipe dipped down first. The rider in the left pipe....not so lucky. His pipe went up first, and unless he weighed enough to gather momentum quickly, he wasn't going to make it. That exact scenario happened to me. I was always a thin child, and at 10 years old I'm being generous by saying I was tipping the scales at 65 pounds. 65 pounds is not enough to get a person over that first hump. I GOT STUCK IN THE PIPE. This is what I remember: The lifeguard said "go." I laid on my back, pushed myself into the tube, hands and feet crossed, and WHHEEEE! for 5 seconds. I slowed to a stop. I was stuck trying to get over the other pipe. The insides were a dark blue and the air was stuffy. I had to sit up inside the pipe and push off the interior walls with my hands to get myself moving again. After that it was fairly smooth sailing, but once I built up momentum, I really got splashed in the face with water. Then I couldn't see anything. And I had no idea when this pipe was going to come to an end. I was awaiting the splash lane...."WHEN SHOULD I HOLD MY BREATH!?!" Finally, when I couldn't take it anymore, I was free. I was in the safety of the splash lane with a few minor cuts and bruises on my back from God knows what. My oldest brother later told me about a recurring nightmare he had in which he got stuck in the Super Twist. I vowed to never submit myself to the Super Twist again.
Next Post: Water Works Part 2 - The Octopus & The Mats/Double Tubes
