Who builds the world's water slides
Two Canadian firms dominate the big-ride market; German steel, Turkish fibreglass and Chinese volume fill out the field.Slides are made in factories by special companies. Two of the biggest are in Canada!
WhiteWater West
Started by Geoff Chutter in 1980 near Vancouver.Founded by Geoff Chutter, still CEO.
ProSlide Technology
Started by ski racer Rick Hunter in Ottawa.Founded by Rick Hunter, a Canadian alpine racer (1969-74) who turned ski-turn geometry into flume design.
Polin Waterparks
Started in Istanbul in 1976.Founded by Enver Pakiş as a fibreglass firm.
wiegand.waterrides
A German family company that makes summer toboggan runs, steel slides and the amazing SlideWheel.Josef Wiegand founded the company in 1963 and built summer toboggan runs from 1975; the first stainless-steel water slide followed in 1982.
Splashtacular
An American company that makes body, tube and trapdoor slides, about 60 so far.Founded by Steve Levine (originally in La Quinta, California).
Aquatic Development Group
They build wave machines and whole indoor water parks, like the Great Wolf and Kalahari resorts.Grew out of Herb Ellis's commercial pool business in the 1960s into a design-build specialist for indoor water parks and WaveTek wave pools.
NBGS
Jeff Henry's small Texas company invented the Master Blaster uphill trick in the 1990s.Jeff Henry's company (son of Schlitterbahn founder Bob Henry).
Aquarena
Helped WhiteWater invent the AquaLoop.Co-developer of the AquaLoop with WhiteWater; the first unit opened at Terme 3000, Slovenia, in 2008.
Blue Wave
Built Kilimanjaro, the tallest body slide in the world.Brazilian maker of Kilimanjaro, the 49.
Klarer
A Swiss company with more than 200 slides, including the "Fake Slide" and the Infinity Jump.Swiss maker with 203 installations: Abyss, Magic Tube, Fake Slide and Infinity Jump, at Europabad Karlsruhe and Alpamare among others.
Vortex
They make more splash pads than anyone.Founded by Stephen Hamelin; the global leader in splash pads (it owns the Splashpad trademark), Elevations play towers and small slides.
FlowRider
Tom Lochtefeld's sheet-wave surf machine, now part of WhiteWater.The sheet-wave surf simulator, first installed as Boogie Bahn at Schlitterbahn in 1991 and now a WhiteWater brand (2014).
Murphy's Waves
Scottish makers of wave machines for pools all over the world.Wave machines and surf systems for 25-plus years, UL and CSA certified.
Water Technology Inc
They don't make slides, they draw the plans for whole parks: Volcano Bay, Meryal and Aquarabia.Aquatic designer and engineer rather than a slide maker: the hydraulics behind Volcano Bay, Meryal, Aquarabia and Noah's Ark.
Empex Watertoys
Makers of splash-pad toys and water bikes in 50 countries.Wyeth Tracy's splash-pad toys and water bikes, sold in 50-plus countries.
Guangzhou Haisan
A Chinese company with over 1,000 projects.China's only listed water-park equipment maker (2018), with 110-plus patents, 1,000-plus projects and exports to 30-plus countries.
Tailong / Dalang
Built the 45-metre Hurricane towers, the tallest in Asia until 2023.Builders of the 45 m Hurricane free-fall towers at Merry Pi Beach Park (2015) and 88°C Spring Water World (2016), the tallest in Asia until Meryal.
Vekoma
They make roller coasters, including Bandit Bomber, the one with water cannons.Roller-coaster maker whose Splash Party suspended coaster (Bandit Bomber, Yas Waterworld) brought water cannons to a dry ride.