First Dive-in Movie at Soak City

[Voicetek]

Well, my fiance and I decided to give this Dive-in movie thing a try. We got to the main park at around 7:30 and decided to spend a couple hours in the park before heading over.

So we walked into Soak City and started heading back to the wave pool where the movie was. There were lots of people there, which we had pretty much expected. The first thing we decided to do was look for a chair. As we were looking, I noticed that there were a ton of people lining the edge/shore of this gigantic pool. I thought, "huh, that's weird" and continued to find a chair. We were successful and found 2 chairs together. As I sat down I noticed the line again. Then I also noticed that 3/4 of the pool was empty. I was thinking to myself, "I wonder why the people are just standing on the edge and not wading into the pool?" I figured that the water was probably pretty cold. So the movie started and I was still trying to figure out what was going on. I then noticed that the entire edge of the pool was roped off and people were being filtered into the deep end of the pool. Then I realized that this was a line! I line to the wave pool!

Just about that time, my fiance asked me if I wanted to go test the water and maybe get in for a bit. I said yeah, but I think that's a line to get in. She was like, no way! There's no line for the wave pool, you'll just go on in. And I said, no go look...see the ropes! We were so confused. So we looked around and found someone working the event. We decided to talk to them about it and find out what was going on. This was the response we got....

She said, "Oh yeah, this is a line to get into the wave pool. The only section of the pool that you're allowed to go into is the deep end where it has lights." She continued, "I think they're letting more people in though in a little bit." So I asked, "So the people who are already in the pool, do they have a time limit? Will they make them get out in a little bit so that more people can go in?" She said, "Oh no, once you get in you can pretty much stay in as long as you want." What in the world? So basically once the 1/4 section of the pool hit capacity then no one would be allowed in unless someone decided to get out. But they weren't regulating the time in the pool and they weren't forcing anyone out. So basically, everyone standing in the line waiting, most of them would probably never get in.

I was so ticked at the execution of this thing that we just grabbed our stuff and left. I feel like this was horrible advertisement on this whole thing. I understand that it was dark and they wanted to be safe by only using the lit end of the pool, but there were a couple of things that they could have done better. First thing, they could've made it clear in the advertising that it was "First come first serve, Limited space in the wave pool" but no, they said come on out and watch a movie and float around in the wave pool. It sounded like the entire pool would be open. Second thing, they could've regulated the time people could stay in the water. If they only had a limited space and they had a line a mile long, then someone needed to blow a whistle every 15 minutes or so so that another group of people could get in and enjoy the pool too.

I could've cared less about the movie, but I think it was mainly the principle of how things were handled. I'm all about safety, but you've also got to make people aware of how things are going to be executed. We saw a ton of people leaving, even the lady we talked to about the whole thing made a comment that a lot of people were packing up and leaving. Hmmm...I wonder why? We only talked to one person and I took it in good faith that she gave me accurate information. Maybe they were setting a time limit. Maybe they were cycling the people through. I don't know. I didn't stay around to find out.

Did anyone else go to this tonight? Did you see anything different? Did you notice if they were handling it better as the night went on? I also understand that this is the first one and perhaps they will work out all the bugs as time goes on. Maybe I'll give it a chance later next month when it's running a bit more smoothly.

[YoungStud]

Or they could put temporary lights around the wavepool. I feel bad you guys a bad evening. I am sure all the people standing in line felt tbe same.

[Captain Nemo]

I understand that it was dark and they wanted to be safe

That's whats happens when you build a wave pool for under 10 Millions now a days!

[TheBEASTunchained]

I wasn't there to watch or walk into Soak City last night but based on the way that you explained it Voicetek, I'm going to guess that the only reason it was like that is because its the first time they have ever done this. I'm sure they learned a lot from that and it probably wont be the same next time. With each try it'll probably get a little better and if not....I guess there wont be anymore Diving In for 2014 and beyond.

[tuxedoman52]

There were tons of people when I left.

[Adventuro]

I feel like most people would just assume it was a first come first serve basis.

[Gordon Bombay]

I feel like most people would just assume it was a first come first serve basis.

Most people would probably assume you'd use the whole wave pool too.

Typical, how do you screw this event up? It's not rocket science, especially when your competition across the street did it for years and you stole the idea.

[jcgoble3]

And what about people like me who can't swim, meaning that we can't go out into the deep end and have to stay in shallow water? Using only the deep end completely excludes us. That's just stupid.

[malem]

And what about people like me who can't swim, meaning that we can't go out into the deep end and have to stay in shallow water? Using only the deep end completely excludes us. That's just stupid.

The park offers life jackets free-of-charge. At many attractions, including the wave pool, they are required for non-swimmers. No matter how tall they are.

You really should learn to swim, even if you don't plan on swimming. It could save your life, and it would allow you to participate at Soak City without either wearing a life jacket or breaking a safety rule.

[Voicetek]

And what about people like me who can't swim, meaning that we can't go out into the deep end and have to stay in shallow water? Using only the deep end completely excludes us. That's just stupid.

I agree, I thought it might be kind of fun to just sit on the shore line in the shallow water and watch the movie. I didn't necessarily feel the need to float around in the deep end, I just mainly wanted to be in the water. Also, some of the people were so far out in the deep end that they were behind the two screens. It just all seemed a mess. Maybe they should've called the Beach and gotten some advice on how to run one of these things. Here's hoping the Dive-in movies at Soak City gets better and more organized with time.

[Tanna]

And what about people like me who can't swim, meaning that we can't go out into the deep end and have to stay in shallow water? Using only the deep end completely excludes us. That's just stupid.

This concerns me, too. What about little kids? They advertised movies to please children. I certainly wouldn't take my sisters' kids to an event that advertised Pixar films and have the teensiest scrawniest kid in a tube, in a crowd, in the deep end. If she went down, I'd have to battle all those tubebutts to get her to the surface!

Fail!

I just read the post about life jackets. End to end intertubes would create a buffeting action if a kid went in. To crowd everyone into one section of the pool is disastrous.

[jcgoble3]

And what about people like me who can't swim, meaning that we can't go out into the deep end and have to stay in shallow water? Using only the deep end completely excludes us. That's just stupid.

The park offers life jackets free-of-charge. At many attractions, including the wave pool, they are required for non-swimmers. No matter how tall they are.

You really should learn to swim, even if you don't plan on swimming. It could save your life, and it would allow you to participate at Soak City without either wearing a life jacket or breaking a safety rule.

1. Perhaps the non-swimmer isn't comfortable in the deep end at all, even with a life jacket. They want to have the reassurance of being able to touch the bottom of the pool.

2. Perhaps the non-swimmer is too young to have reasonably learned how to swim with confidence yet. These movies are supposed to be "family-friendly", after all. The deep-end-only policy certainly isn't. Depending on how young the kid is, #1 could easily apply here as well.

3. Perhaps the non-swimmer is actually physically incapable of swimming. I, for example, cannot float properly unassisted due to having extremely dense bones. Swimming lessons don't help; I simply am incapable of floating high enough in the water to get my mouth above the surface, unless I am wearing a life jacket.

[malem]

^ You make a good point; the deep-end policy is excluding guests. Hopefully they find some portable lights.

I, for example, cannot float properly unassisted due to having extremely dense bones. Swimming lessons don't help; I simply am incapable of floating high enough in the water to get my mouth above the surface, unless I am wearing a life jacket.

I'd think that with less buoyancy, water skills would be even more helpful.

[jcgoble3]

^ You make a good point; the deep-end policy is excluding guests. Hopefully they find some portable lights.

I, for example, cannot float properly unassisted due to having extremely dense bones. Swimming lessons don't help; I simply am incapable of floating high enough in the water to get my mouth above the surface, unless I am wearing a life jacket.

I'd think that with less buoyancy, water skills would be even more helpful.

I know how to do a front crawl, backstroke (regular and elementary), and horizontal floating (both face up and face down). I could probably tread water in a pinch. But without a life jacket, all of these skills are virtually useless because it is physically impossible for me to BREATHE while doing any of these. I paid triple figures for private swimming lessons a few years ago, and the instructor came to the conclusion that my technique is not the problem. There's literally nothing I can do except wait until I get older and begin to lose bone density. In the meantime, I have to wear a life jacket in water more than about four to five feet deep.

[malem]

^ I'm sure you're much safer around water, with or without a life jacket, having those skills.

[PKIVortex]

Why doesn't this surprise me? After the day I had at KI today, one of the worst days in all my 26 years of going to that Park. I witnessed several several safety issues today!

[Tanna]

And what about people like me who can't swim, meaning that we can't go out into the deep end and have to stay in shallow water? Using only the deep end completely excludes us. That's just stupid.

The park offers life jackets free-of-charge. At many attractions, including the wave pool, they are required for non-swimmers. No matter how tall they are.

You really should learn to swim, even if you don't plan on swimming. It could save your life, and it would allow you to participate at Soak City without either wearing a life jacket or breaking a safety rule.

1. Perhaps the non-swimmer isn't comfortable in the deep end at all, even with a life jacket. They want to have the reassurance of being able to touch the bottom of the pool.

2. Perhaps the non-swimmer is too young to have reasonably learned how to swim with confidence yet. These movies are supposed to be "family-friendly", after all. The deep-end-only policy certainly isn't. Depending on how young the kid is, #1 could easily apply here as well.

3. Perhaps the non-swimmer is actually physically incapable of swimming. I, for example, cannot float properly unassisted due to having extremely dense bones. Swimming lessons don't help; I simply am incapable of floating high enough in the water to get my mouth above the surface, unless I am wearing a life jacket.

Funny thing about bone density, if I didn't see the sink phenomena for myself, I would have laughed it off, but my husband cannot float to literally save his life. When he told me he couldn't swim, (I spent summers on Cumberland Lake in Kentucky, and a lot of that time on a houseboat), I honestly couldn't believe him, but he sinks. I'd never met someone who could not swim before. We go boating, fishing, etc., but have life jackets and ski belts around the same as an asthmatic would have their puffer.

[jcgoble3]

And what about people like me who can't swim, meaning that we can't go out into the deep end and have to stay in shallow water? Using only the deep end completely excludes us. That's just stupid.

The park offers life jackets free-of-charge. At many attractions, including the wave pool, they are required for non-swimmers. No matter how tall they are.

You really should learn to swim, even if you don't plan on swimming. It could save your life, and it would allow you to participate at Soak City without either wearing a life jacket or breaking a safety rule.

1. Perhaps the non-swimmer isn't comfortable in the deep end at all, even with a life jacket. They want to have the reassurance of being able to touch the bottom of the pool.

2. Perhaps the non-swimmer is too young to have reasonably learned how to swim with confidence yet. These movies are supposed to be "family-friendly", after all. The deep-end-only policy certainly isn't. Depending on how young the kid is, #1 could easily apply here as well.

3. Perhaps the non-swimmer is actually physically incapable of swimming. I, for example, cannot float properly unassisted due to having extremely dense bones. Swimming lessons don't help; I simply am incapable of floating high enough in the water to get my mouth above the surface, unless I am wearing a life jacket.

Funny thing about bone density, if I didn't see the sink phenomena for myself, I would have laughed it off, but my husband cannot float to literally save his life. When he told me he couldn't swim, (I spent summers on Cumberland Lake in Kentucky, and a lot of that time on a houseboat), I honestly couldn't believe him, but he sinks. I'd never met someone who could not swim before. We go boating, fishing, etc., but have life jackets and ski belts around the same as an asthmatic would have their puffer.

Sounds like your husband has an even worse problem than I do. I'm capable of floating unassisted, just not high enough to be able to breathe. I've never heard of someone whose bones are so dense that they literally sink, but I can believe it.

[Tanna]

Sinks like a rock. He can stay up a bit, but it's an issue. He stays at the part of the pool where he can stand, while I go swimming in the deep.

[DontWantToWait42mar0]

When one exhales air from their lungs they become less buoyant, and thus begin to sink.

I hope I have heavy bones none the less.

My favorite place to swim is on Diamondback, those air-time hills .

[The Interpreter]

If you can sink on Diamondback, you really have problems.

[Adventuro]

What people don't realize it that KI doesn't do the things they do to upset people or make it difficult, they have their reasons, this time it was a safety issue.

[The Interpreter]

Once upon a time, there were dry runs. Problems were identified, and solved, without annoying loyal paying patrons.

[BB1]

I've heard Thunder Falls was the Diamondback of the waterpark.

Look, I am just going to say this. You may think that many rules are malarchy, but that is just the way it is, it was a first time, it will be fixed, everything is for your safety.

BB1 who knows if someone tells you what to do, do it.

[The Interpreter]

That depends on who the someone is.

I get told to do a lot of things. I always consider the source.

[AZ Kinda Guy]

Here's my shocked face that this event got screwed up....

[The Interpreter]

So the real question will be how they handle week 2.

[DontWantToWait42mar0]

An almost 2 hour event where if you leave the pool, then you lose your spot.

Not my cup of tea.

[MarketingExpress]

^Hope that pool was heavily sanitized after the event.

Just thinking of the number of people who didn't want to get out to use the restroom due to the risk of not being able to get back into the wave pool.

[Bennett]

Sounds like a good idea, very poorly executed. Either open up the entire pool, or don't have it at all.