Ihu's Breakaway Falls - A Thrilling Addition for Aquatica

Aquatica's newest attraction, Ihu's Breakaway Falls, opens officially to the public on May 9, 2014. The Orlando Theme Park News Administrator was able to preview this great new addition, along with two Guests (which can be definitely considered thrill ride fans). Our Guests were among the first to ever ride it, and they had a few comments to share with us. Continue reading to see what they thought about Ihu's Breakaway Falls, and enjoy our photos and video of the attraction:

First of all, Ihu's Breakaway Falls definitely towers above the park, and can be easily seen from many different parts of the park. It is especially evident that it is the Aquatica's tallest attraction when getting near the park's two wave pools. We can easily say that the park has just gotten a brand-new icon:

The structure built around the slides shares the same theme of the rest of the park. The signature green canopy and the bamboo-like colors make the attraction blend beautifully with the surroundings. In addition to that, quite a few trees, canes, and bushes have been carefully planted all around, partially hiding the supports:

The entrance sign for the attraction:





Let's take a closer look at the slides:

As you may already know, each slide offers a completely different experience. Here's a video that outlines the features of each slide, which we filmed just a few hours ago at the park:

Here's a quick summary, taken directly from the official press release for Ihu's Breakaway Falls:

• Drop more than three stories and slide for 420 feet, the longest of the four slides, on the orange slide.
• The green slide path has the shortest drop, but it’s still a 28-foot fall – that’s the same as four seven-foot tall basketball players!
• Fall from the blue slide if you’re looking for the steepest slide with a breakaway box.
• While the purple slide isn’t a true drop slide, it is by no means a “chicken slide”. In fact, this open-aired slide is the steepest of all four slides.

The queue line leading to the slides doesn't have any out-of-this-world features, but it does include a video on a loop and audio warnings to prepare Guests before even starting to go up the stairs (that's a great idea, as it could save Guests not able to ride a lot of time... and energy!):

Stay to your left to ride on one of the slides featuring the sudden drop; to the right for the "regular" slide:

Oh, and did we mention that the view only gets better as you go up? Yes, the tower alone is an attraction in itself:

You can even have a very clear view of SeaWorld Orlando and many of its attractions:









Once Guests reach the top pf the structure, they are confronted with the "Breakaway Boxes":

These very sleek-looking boxes are actually more menacing that they look. In fact, before (and after!) the door closes right in front of your face, you can hear the sound of a heartbeat that definitely sets the mood for this thrilling attraction. Those who want to chicken out can do so only until now! Afterwards, the countdown begins. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... DROP! We were told that initially they wanted to do away with the countdown to make the more experience even more thrilling (think about Falcon's Fury), but that was then added for safety (it would allow Guests to prepare and be in the right position before dropping):

Just look at their expressions... if you can:





...and down they go!:

Not liking the idea of using a "Breakaway Box," but still brave enough to confront a thrilling slide? No problem, Aquatica took that into consideration as well. There's one single slide that does not feature the box, so you can start your adventure whenever you feel ready. One caveat, though: it is the steepest slide of the four!:

Reaching the bottom:

So, what did our Guests think about the entire experience? They were able to test three of the four slides (the only one they did not try was the purple slide), and their consensus was unanimous: Ihu's Breakaway Falls is one of the most intense and exhilarating attractions they have ever been on. Terms like "amazing" and "exciting" were used in their descriptions. We can really tell that Aquatica has set a higher standard for water slides, so they will have to continue to offer more experiences of this kind in the future. That being said, we would definitely not complain if there are new family-friendly attractions added for those of us who are... well, not as brave. :-)