The inflatable water park H20 revolution is here!

Back when you were little you were happy to play with a lilo out on the water. These days that just won't cut it for those water babies who want more adrenaline out of their aqua park adventures. They might look like a cluster of floating bouncy castles, but there is a whole lot more to these waterborne obstacle courses.

All the rules and the gear for aqua park fans

First of all, you'll have to swim out to them. That means all aqua park operators have rules about being able to swim. For example, it might be that you need to be able to swim un-assisted for at least 25m. There will also be a minimum age limit and some have a minimum height too, to ensure everyone is playing safely out there on the water park.

You'll need to wear the right gear. A savvy aqua park-er knows that a wetsuit is essential, even if the weather is playing ball on the day you visit the inflatable water park. That's because there's a lot of PVC, velcro and the like out there and with all the slipping and sliding about, a wetsuit protects you from, how can we put it, chaffing! Then you have the buoyancy aid. These will help with flotation and are compulsory at the UK aqua parks we work with.

Before you get out there on the inflatable obstacles

On shore you'll have a safety briefing. This will cover how you get out to the floating fun park, where to get on the modules, what to do if you get into trouble and who to communicate with and how. Some of the larger aqua parks have patrollers stationed in a zone actually on the park, others patrol from the perimeter on paddle boards or jet skis. In every case, a trained rescuer is never far away. And at some inflatable water parks, the pontoon and the clubhouse are just a few metres away from the action.

Floating fun on the inflatables on the water

So now you're out there. What do you do? Well, the first thing is to accept whole-heartedly the fact that you are going to get wet. And then enjoy it! And if you're wondering what we're talking about, have a look at this short video clip of an aqua park in the UK.

Try the balance beam, swing on the ropes, bounce on the trampolines then build yourself up for the big one - the steep slide that'll spit you out right into the the middle of the lake. Before you know it you'll be howling with laughter and scrambling to get back up onto the modules to go and do it all over again, because you are loving the inflatable water park!