New wave pool makes a splash
There is an alternative in Cape Coral to hitting the waves and getting sand in your toes.
Sun Splash Family Waterpark at Lake Kennedy has opened a splashin’ 12,000-gallon wave pool called Paradise Cove Wave Pool.
No sand.
No salt.
Just plenty of sunshine, ocean-simulated wave action and a bountiful collection of orange innertubes to help wave riders of every age conquer the current.
“The wave pool has seven different wave patterns and I haven’t learned them all yet,” Sun Splash Chief Marketing Officer Ron McKenzie `said with a smile as the new amenity opened to the public on Tuesday.
The current schedule for waveriders includes 15 minutes of wave action followed by seven minutes of calm.
“Not every guest is a strong swimmer. We want to offer something for all different abilities,” he said.
Marco Brummond and his wife Kristina own Ryco Marine, a sales, service and boat brokerage business in Fort Myers, which sponsored Sun Splash’s newest attraction.
Brummond said his three kids loved their first experience in the Paradise Cove Wave Pool.
“I was tossing our 7-year-old up over the waves. We all loved it,” he said.
Wren Opteynet smiled as she dove between waves.
“It’s not scary at all,” she said, bobbing alongside of her dad, John Paul. The pair treaded water as waves of varying sizes splashed.
John Paul said Sun Splash adding a wave pool attraction makes the water park even more appealing.
McKenzie said there is more in store for Paradise Cove Wave Pool — 16×9-foot Jumbo Tron High-Definition Video Screen, with sound, will be installed before the end of August.
“People will literally be able to ride the waves and watch a movie or a video,” he said.
McKenzie is considering showing NFL Football games on the Jumbo Tron this fall.
While the current water temperature feels energizing, McKenzie said the water isn’t heated.
November water may be a bit chilly, but watching football from an innertube sounds like a bucket-list item.
The water park — the largest in Southwest Florida — also offers a Lazy River, multiple tubes and slides, a children’s area as well as lux cabanas.
Through July and August, the park is open daily and will be open a minimum of two days a week through November.
Sun Splash Family Waterpark is at 500 W. Lake Kennedy Drive.
Visit: sunsplashwaterpark.com for daily park hours and admission prices and policies which include a provision that youths younger than 16 must be chaperoned by an adult 21 or older.