The Fishpipe is an
amusement ride consisting of an inflated, rugby ball shaped, transparent, two skinned ball suspended between two large wheels on a frame. Up to 3 people can enter the ball, water is added and the entire ball is spun in place at speeds up to 11 feet per minute. The Fishpipe riders slide (or can attempt to surf) on the inner surface which is made slippery due to the water.
The Fishpipe was created in New Zealand by the same people who created the original Zorb and OGO balls. There are only 12 Fishpipes in existence on the planet, 2 are on the island of Maui, HI and 3 are in the
Outdoor Gravity Park in
Pigeon Forge, TN
Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 6,343. Situated just 5 miles (8 km) north of Great Smoky Mountains National Par ...
United States. The speed can be controlled for each rider and 15 gallons of clean filtered water is put in the ball for every rider.
The Fishpipe has been described as the world's longest waterslide, with the occupants sliding around , and by Canada's
Daily Planet (TV series) "Garage Gurus" show as 'the world's most compact waterpark'.
Locations
Fishpipe units are operated in
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
,
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
,
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Rotorua
Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, and
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
,
Grand Wailea Resort and Spa, Wailea, Maui, HI,
Kihei, Maui, Hawaii.
The newest Fishpipe opened on Friday, May 22, 2015 at King's Pointe Waterpark Resort in Storm Lake, Iowa.
There is also a Fishpipe in operation at the Hyatt Regency in Indian Wells, Ca., in the Coachella Valley.
History
The Fishpipe ride was invented by David and Andrew Akers (one of the inventors of the
Zorb
Zorbing (also known as globe-riding, sphereing, orbing) is the recreation or sport of rolling downhill inside an orb, typically made of transparent plastic. Zorbing is generally performed on a gentle slope but can also be done on a level surfa ...
).
References
{{Reflist
Water rides