Water parks are amusement parks with all attractions someway or the other related to a water-based activity. Slides, swimming pools, and lazy rivers make up the most of it but with every passing day new innovation in the form of rain rooms, integration of old rides with water-based rides and splash pads that somehow keep getting thriller and thriller, is being witnessed by the hoards that people visit these parks in. Wave Pools have recently come into trend and can stimulate the ocean with some places even offering surfing simulation games that are actually indoors, top that! Well, the business is booming and plenty of fun to be had at them but whenever there are water-based activities involved some precautions need to be taken. Let’s consider what needs to be brought with you to a water park and what isn’t, to get you all geared up for a day at the slides.
The weather reaches a boiling point when water parks see the most visitors and most likely you’ve planned your day at summer noon or expecting scorching heat, to be relieved from when you step into the water. Now, being exposed to the sun is fine but when the exposure is for hours at a time- sunburns are a possibility so always apply sunblock on your body and carry it with you to keep yourself safe. With the sheer number of people, it’s difficult to keep the waters clean and so the pools are chlorinated to clean the water. Sunblock works wonders against chlorinated water because staying in it causes an absurd amount of tanning.
Not everyone is a great swimmer and most likely there won’t be a lot of swimming in a water park, ironic as it might be, these places are pretty crowded. But just to be on the safe side, a pair of swimming goggles and ear-plugs if you have a problem with water logging your ears, should come in handy. Sometimes if the chlorinated water is still pretty worn down or infected you might end up infected if you ingest it, while you can’t plug your nose and mouth, plugging your ears is a good practice.
Another important aspect of spending all this time jumping, diving, sliding, splashing, and swimming is you’ll end up with a dry throat, dehydration is real people! And with a burning sun above your head and water that keeps you from sweating down below, it’s easy to overheat- so as a good measure, bring a bottle of water with you, bring two if you can- water never hurts. Carbonated drinks should be avoided like soda, coke, etc. as they contribute to further dehydration and can be injurious to your health. If you opt to drink water available at these water parks, be very cautious as there is no validity of the hygiene of the water available there and for all we know, it is most likely contaminated.
If you have kids or are going with family or friends that have kids, keep an eye out for them too, it is unnerving how common disasters are when kids and swimming pools are involved and while it may eat up a chunk of your attention at least that way everybody stays safe. With that said, keep a small first aid kit handy, small cuts and bruises are all too common with pools.
Smartphones are great to capture images and record memories but at the same time they’re fragile, water is the enemy folks, and thus carrying a wet bag with you for your phone and other non-water friendly belongings is a great idea.
Finally, it is a rule of thumb to carry a spare set of clothes, a towel, and bathing amenities with you such as a shampoo and some conditioner to wash off the chlorine after you’re out of the pools. Let’s be honest, there is no one in this world that prefers going home in shivers with clothes dripping water or run around like a human hanger for drying clothes for hours on end, an extra pair of shorts, and a shirt is a small price to pay for comfort. Also, if you don’t want to use the bathing suits or pool trunks available at the park, carry your own.
Let’s also consider what shouldn’t be carried with you to a water park- valuables, or at least don’t bring them to the pool, food- snacks are fine but preparing entire meals is overkill and especially make sure you’re not carrying anything that is banned at the park, right to entry is reserved for the water park administration and if they say certain things aren’t allowed, then that’s the law. With these precautions taken, summertime can be a lot of fun chilling at the water park, not exerting yourself too much because that’s what vacations are about.