Kalahari makes splash with expanded outdoor water park

[toutembed=0zx2sf]HURON TWP. — The ear-shattering shrieks echoing across a massive outdoor venue actually soothed and settled Nick Hovde.Peering out from a hotel room's balcony, Hovde leaned over the railing to gaze at adults and children racing down vibrant color-coded water slides.He saw them laughing as they spun around and swung back and forth on high-angle banks before plunging into a pool.He saw them yelling in delight instantly after plummeting down a near-vertical chute before launching into a tight full-on 360-degree loop.Their happiness, in turn, made Hovde flash a smile wider than the neon green inner tubes riders wield when maneuvering down these attractions."We have got a lot of exciting stuff here," said Hovde, the assistant general manager for Kalahari Resorts. "The screams tell it all when they come down the rides."Hovde watched several dozen people brave overcast weather Friday afternoon to celebrate opening day for the resort's expanded outdoor water park, characterized as a five-slide tower, in Erie County."We've had outdoor activities in the past, but nothing like this," Hovde said. "We wanted to give adults and younger children something to do besides an activity pool and kiddie stuff. We had this nice piece of land, and we really wanted to make things a little bit more exciting at our outdoor space during the summertime."Hovde hinted at more developments and investments happening at the outdoor water park."You have to keep things fresh to get your guests coming back every year," Hovde said. "We try to make upgrades to the resort. This is just one phase of the outdoor water park. We are planning for more in the future."Visitors ride the Stingray slide at Kalahari featured in the new outdoor slide tower on Friday, May 26, 2017. Clarifying Kalahari's water slidesOn Friday, Kalahari Resorts in Erie County debuted an expanded outdoor water park, which consists of five new water slides:• Tornado Alley: From the smooth back-to-back turns of the serpentine in-run, riders will suddenly drop into the 24-foot funnel and experience high-banking swings and zero-gravity moments before the raft is pulled into the next set of high-speed flumes.• Stingray: The raft drops low, compresses, then launches up the far wall of the sideways funnel, where it hangs for a moment in zero gravity, nearly vertical on the wall.• Sahara Sidewinder: Moving at lightning speed, the tubes bank high up on the wall, glued by centrifugal force. The steep angle of the saucers creates a drop-and-drive sensation as riders race along its edge.• Serengeti Spinner: This high-speed, enclosed body slide features back-to-back curves and tight 360-degree loops that send riders screaming all the way to the pool.• Extreme Rush: Experience the drop through a near-vertical chute into a tight 360, glued to the wall and thrilling in the flat-out speed.Amanda Gray, of Lodi, plunges into the pool of the Serengeti Spinner body slide on the new outdoor slide tower at Kalahari on Friday, May 26, 2017. Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.Guest enjoy the new outside slide tower at Kalahari on Friday, May 26, 2017. The structure includes five slides ranging from thrilling drops to leisurely twists.