Knott’s Soak City expands to add two water slides

Knott’s Soak City in Buena Park announced Wednesday the addition of two new water slide attractions, including a thrill ride that drops guests through a trapdoor from a tower more than seven stories tall.

The two new water slides — dubbed Shore Break and the Wedge — will replace a raft ride called Pacific Spin and an adjoining section of parking lot. The attractions are part of a 1.8-acre expansion set to open next summer.

The announcement comes only a week after a 10-yearold boy was killed riding the world’s tallest water slide, Verrückt, at Schlitterbahn Water Park in Kansas.

A park representative declined to comment on the Schlitterbahn accident but added, “At Knott’s Berry Farm and Knott’s Soak City, the safety of our guests and employees is always the highest priority.”

Riders on the Shore Break will be able to enter a chamber and stand on a trapdoor that opens suddenly, sending them flying down a tube on a “vertical free fall” and through a series of twists and turns. Another set of slides sends riders on rafts racing to a pool at the bottom.

On the Wedge, as many as six riders can climb into a raft that drops down a curving flume to a pool at the bottom.

The expansion will include an overhauled shade area, cabanas and a remodeled restaurant. It is the first major expansion of the park since 2006.

Knott’s Soak City representatives declined to reveal attendance numbers, but an annual report by AECOM estimated that water park attendance in North America has climbed 6% from 2010 to 2015.