The world's first lazy river with a high-tech tunnel is just 45 minutes away from Montreal at Super Aqua Club. You get more than a relaxing trip on this water park ride, you also experience a high-tech, multi-sensory show with lasers, music, and jungle-themed projections on a waterfall!
The unique attraction is part of the revamped Zephyr River that carries visitors on inflatable tubes through a heated water circuit. At the start of the ride, the current pulls them through a 75-foot tunnel with ever-changing visuals.
Riders might see tigers and leopards leap through the waterfall that runs across the path of the river or be dazzled by a rainbow light display.
The full show lasts around five minutes, but visitors only get a 30-second glimpse at a time, so each pass through the tunnel is a new experience.
"I wanted an immersive dimension that brings the river to another level. It's still entertaining, but there's more to see and feel," Super Aqua Club President Nadine St-Amant told MTL Blog.
The technology featured in the tunnel was developed in collaboration with Montreal-based water park manufacturer Vortex International. The company paired water effects with sensors that illuminate 3D animations through a fine mist when they detect people.
Fog machines line both sides of the tunnel, adding fine water droplets to the air that catch projected light. Tunnel programming features jungle-themed plants, animals, and butterflies.
"We hear people yelling with joy when they see the waterfall for the first time. For me, it's all about eliciting emotion. There's sound, there are vibrations. The uniqueness of the experience is due to the engagement of all of your senses," said St-Amant.
When the waterfall isn't running, colour-changing LEDs glow across the roof of the tunnel, and other projections reflect on the fog.
The park plans to keep updating the ride and is considering having evening events that let riders experience the show at night when the lights will be more vibrant.
The new lazy river is one of the park's offering of over 45 water slides — plus a real sandy beach — on the shores of Lac des Deux Montagnes. For access to the park, a regular all-day pass costs $48 (+ tax) for an adult, while a half-day pass that grants access at 3 p.m. costs $33.
Super Aqua Club: Zephyr River
Someone on a yellow water tube floats on a lazy river into a tunnel covered in green leaves.
When: Open now.
Where: 322 Mnt de la Baie, Pointe-Calumet
Cost: $48+ for a full-day regular ticket; $33 for a half-day regular ticket at 3 p.m.