The Triple Twist, Great Wolf Lodge, Kansas

Prepare to be plunge into a huge funnel followed by tight twists and turns and two more funnels, before finally splashing into the pool. At night the Triple Twist takes the fun up a few notches as you are immersed in a full sensory LED lighting experience.

Standing five storeys high and measuring in at 330ft long, riders speed along the tunnel before entering a funnel where they are sloshed around in proper half-pipe style before continuing along the tube for more bends and yet more funnels. You can be forgiven if afterwards you feel as if you've just stepped out of a washer-dryer.

Mammoth, Splashin' Safari, Indiana 

Meet Mammoth, the longest watercoaster in the world measuring in at a mammoth 1,763ft long (one-third of a mile). It opened in Splashin' Safari, Indiana, earlier this year.

Like Wildebeest, the previous holder of this title, Mammoth uses cutting-edge hydromagnetic technology to propel six-person inflatable boats at breakneck speeds along a series of rollercoaster-like uphill climbs followed by fast downward plunges. The ride begins with a 300ft conveyor 'lift hill' followed by a series of drops, including one three-storey drop while you're tilted at a 45-degree angle.


Aqualoop, Terme 3000, Slovenia

Taking the honours for the first commercial waterslide in the world to hurtle its riders through a complete 360-degree turn is Aqualoop, located at the Terme 3000 thermal springs in Slovenia.

Adrenaline junkies love the rocket start that thrusts them along at speeds fast enough to round the loop successfully - clocking a white-knuckle top speed of 262ft per second in the process. Despite the route measuring in at 300ft long, it takes the average rider just 7.5 seconds to complete the entire ride

Leap of Faith, Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas

Created as a 141-acre waterscape within the Atlantis resort Aquaventure provides non-stop splashing fun, but it is the Leap of Faith that pulls the thrill seekers. Just in case careering down a 60ft-long, near-perpendicular plunge from the top of a life-size replica Mayan temple isn't thrilling enough, the Leap of Faith has another unforgettable trump card up its sleeve.

Embedded in an aquarium, riders are thrust at great speed through a clear acrylic tunnel which has been submerged in a lagoon filled with Caribbean reef sharks and nurse sharks


Scorpion's Tail, Noah's Ark Family Park, Wisconsin

Nobody does white-knuckle water rides better than the US of A and the Scorpion's Tail, located in the United States' largest water park, is one of several Stateside rides which ensures nobody forgets that.

The ride measures in at 10 storeys high and 400ft long. Thrill seekers take their position in a capsule-like tube before a trapdoor floor drops out, allowing gravity, water and centrifugal force to take over. Just when you think you've reached the end the Scorpion's Tail delivers its sting by whooshing riders through a 45-degree angled loop (the tallest of its kind in the world) topping out at speeds of 40mph.


Insano, Beach Park, Brazil

The name of the world's highest water slide - an edifice that at 134ft tall towers above the surrounding tropical coastline - translates into almost every language and threatens to scare the Speedos off even the bravest of bathers.

Thanks to its 14-storey height, riders tear down it at a stomach-lurching top speed of 65mph (that's nearly our motorway speed limit!), before slamming into the pool below. This ride is not for the faint-hearted, nor the baggy shorts brigade.



Summit Plummet, Walt Disney World Resort, Florida

One of the world's tallest and fastest free fall body slides, Summit Plummet takes pride of place at Disney's Blizzard Beach, which supposedly came into being as Florida's first ski resort after a freak snowstorm.

Unsurprisingly the snow didn't last very long under the Florida sun and soon the slopes were transformed from snowy pistes to spine-chilling waterslides. At least according to Disney legend, that is. From Summit Plummet's 120ft high 'ski jump' tower it's a breathtaking high-speed 55mph plunge down and into the pool at the base of the mountain, resulting in a spectacular water plume


Double Barrel Drop, Great Wolf Lodge, Pennsylvania

Hailed as the best new water ride when it debuted in 2009, the Double Barrel Drop is the only indoor double funnel ride around. To build it, Great Wolf Lodge had to create a separate out-building to accommodate the bulk of this ride.

True to its name, the six-storey high Double Barrel Drop adventure starts with a plunge into a massive funnel. Just as you gather your wits, you are spun around a 450-degree hairpin turn and thrust down a dark vortex tunnel followed by the second vortex before finally splashing down. Go on, try it. We double dare you.


The Wildebeest, Splashin' Safari, Indiana

As the second longest watercoaster in the world, The Wildebeest certainly lives up to its wild beast moniker serving up all the thrills you can stomach along its 1,500ft length. Using hydromagnetic technology to propel the four-person boats up a series of eight hills, The Wildebeest is way more advanced than just being a water slide.

The ride kicks off with a conveyor-like 'lift hill' followed immediately by a drop as tall as three double-decker buses while angled at 45 degrees. The thrilling 2.5 minute-long ride includes a total of eight drops, adding up to 178ft of total 'drop'.


The Master Blaster, Alton Towers Waterpark, UK

Britain's climate might only lend itself to limited large-scale, open-air waterparks, but a number of cracking year-round indoor parks ensure the country never goes completely dry. The Caribbean-themed Alton Towers Waterpark is among the finest on offer and its 680ft-long Master Blaster undoubtedly takes pride of place.

Not only does this belter propel riders downhill at a ferocious pace but it also thrusts them along three uphill sections at an even faster speed (16ft per second to be exact). Several dark sections further amp up the excitement factor



Master Blaster, Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, Texas

Ranked as the best water ride for most of the last 14 years, the popularity of the Master Blaster cannot be denied. Located in the Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, which in turn has topped the list of the finest waterparks in the world since 1998 and is built in true larger-than-life Texas style, Master Blaster combines the uphill climbs and downhill plunges of rollercoasters with the splashing fun of waterslides for a truly unique experience.

The ride's highlight? Racing in a figure of eight around the park's Blastenhoff Tower and blasting uphill and down before entering the climactic pretzel-shaped downward spiral. Only in Texas.


The Wedgie, WhiteWater World, Australia



Cross your arms and clench your cheeks, because the name of this ride says it all. The Wedgie has no nanny mats and no support tubes. As the trapdoor triggers, it's simply fast flesh on fibreglass as you plummet feet first down a near vertical descent, barrelling through a human-sized helix at speeds up to 41ft per second before smashing into the splash pool down below.

This is where the classic 'Aussie Cossie' braking system kicks in, when you feel the fast tug on cheeks - giving 'rise' to the slide's bold name. Only the bravest dare do it in Speedos