Volcano Bay for Low Confident Swimmers

[hjeick]

We are visiting Volcano Bay in two weeks! I have two boys 6 and 7 who will be coming. They are swimmers but I would say low confident swimmers in they get a little scared in new swimming situations. They do feel better when wears life jackets. Will they be permitted to wears these on the slides? Mainly the Krakatau Coaster? They would not need or want them on them in the lazy river or in the pools.

 

[soniam]

Actually, there is one river, the fearless river, for which they probably would want them and may be required to wear them. I don't remember the restrictions on the actual lazy river. I think the wave pool required 42" and under to wear a life jacket. Many of the slides, including the Krakatau coaster, are in rafts, so you never actually get into the water, even at the end of the slide. For the raft slides, an employee at the end pulls the raft toward the stairs and shallower end of the pool at the bottom of the slides. They might not need the jacket for that part. You ride in a inflatable boat on the coaster and never actually get into the water. It loads and unloads out of the water. You can get really wet on some of these though. We never fell out of the rafts or boat. We didn't do the tubes.

 

[Bethany10]

I have not personally been to VB, but am an adult low confident/non swimmer and I can tell you many of the water type slides I've been on don't have you going into the water. You get wet, but you're not "swimming". We did a lot of these type of rides when my kids were younger and needed help in the water as it meant both DH and I could go.

As an adult who never truly learned to swim keep encouraging them! I hate that I'm not comfortable in the water and both my kids are now confident swimmers as we just kept getting them in the water and making it a priority that they learn to swim.

 

[Sugart]

I wouldn't worry, seems like they will only get on 2 slides a day anyway.

 

[quandrea]

My feeling in water parks is that I want my kids to be confident swimmers before going. I also want them old enough to be old enough to have them out of my sight. Dd is 13 now and my twins are 7. 13 is good, but I'd like to see my twins be 9 or 10 before we headed to a water park.

 

[hjeick]

Actually, there is one river, the fearless river, for which they probably would want them and may be required to wear them. I don't remember the restrictions on the actual lazy river. I think the wave pool required 42" and under to wear a life jacket. Many of the slides, including the Krakatau coaster, are in rafts, so you never actually get into the water, even at the end of the slide. For the raft slides, an employee at the end pulls the raft toward the stairs and shallower end of the pool at the bottom of the slides. They might not need the jacket for that part. You ride in a inflatable boat on the coaster and never actually get into the water. It loads and unloads out of the water. You can get really wet on some of these though. We never fell out of the rafts or boat. We didn't do the tubes.

Thanks! This is really helpful in planning!