I am a huge fan of water theme parks, and also am a real adrenaline junkie. I have found memories of visiting Big Splash in East Coast Park when I was a child growing up in Singapore back in the 1980s. Thus, I decided to make a trip to Adventure Cove on Sentosa Island during my last visit to Singapore.
Water theme parks are big – they usually require a lot of land, so they tend to be built in the middle of nowhere rather than in city centres. Thankfully, to get to Adventure Cove, all one has to do is to get the MRT to Harbourfront Station, and Adventure Cove is just a short walk across the Sentosa Broadwalk or just one stop via the Sentosa Express.
Adventure Cove Waterpark is a beautifully designed park, set in lush tropical rainforest. One aspect of the park is that it is family-orientated, which means there really isn’t any scary rides. Don’t get me wrong – the rides are all undoubtedly fun (especially the washing machine experience on the Spiral Washout). I’m talking about “my heart skipped a beat” kind of scary.
The closest thing you get to scary is going through one of dark tunnels, where you can’t see where you are heading. I love being terrified and there really wasn’t anything that satisfied me in that aspect. What many water theme park enthusiasts are after is the famous “free fall” – the sensation of sliding down (almost) vertically just long enough to experience the sensation of falling through space with no resistance.
There are in fact two such rides at Wild Wild Wet and plenty of other rides at nearby Universal Studios on Sentosa which do offer the “free fall” experience. But, this was the one thing missing on Adventure Cove and hopefully something Resorts World Sentosa can include if they expand the park in future.
Adventure Cove has plenty of other unique experience to offer, for instance the snorkeling experience at Rainbow Reef. Now this is the kind of snorkeling experience dream holidays are made of, where you fly far away to an idyllic tropical island and go scuba diving to see the most spectacular marine life on a coral reef.
The colourful marine life at Rainbow Reef is a truly surreal experience, considering I’ve never had any scuba diving experience before. Even though I have snorkelled in places like Bali and Ibiza, I have never seen such a rich collection of marine life in one place at the same time like the one at Rainbow Reef. This is indeed one of the best and most popular attractions at Adventure Cove, so make sure you visit it early before long queues form. If possible, try to be among the first to swim off as you will be swimming around in fairly large groups. Don’t be put off by the cold water; you will soon forget about the temperature of the water the moment you see the amazing marine life in the reef.
Snorkeling amongst beautiful tropical fish in the Rainbow Reef.
Practically all water theme parks will offer some kind of ‘lazy river’ experience where you sit on an inflatable rubber tube to float around the park. It is usually a fairly low-key experience that most people turn to as a last resort when the queues are too long to do anything else. But at Adventure Cove, their Adventure River is special because you get to see all kinds of marine life from dolphins to stingrays to all kinds of colourful tropical fish along the way. This is the defining characteristic of Adventure Cove; most water theme parks are devoid of any kind of marine life, but Adventure Cove is teeming with some of the most fascinating sea creatures.
You can pay extra for immersive experiences like the Ray Bay, where you get to feed and interact with dozens of sting rays, feeling their velvety wings. Adventure Cove’s Ultimate Marine Encounters also allows the brave to swim amongst sharks at the the nearby SEA Aquarium.. If you are interested in any of these special activities, book in advance to avoid disappointment as spaces are limited and they are very popular indeed (additional top-up fees apply for these activities).
The Adventure River ride through the mysterious grotto.
The park opens at 10 in the morning. Aim to arrive slightly before the opening time and be one of the first ones to enter the park. The most popular ride in the park is the Riptide Rocket – Southeast Asia’s first hydro-magnetic roller coaster. On weekends and public holidays, some people have queued for over two hours just for that ride. Get in early and do the most popular rides (and the snorkelling) as many times as you can before noon as the queues will become considerably longer in the afternoon. The rides are amazing and you don’t want to spend most of your day queuing up.
Snorkeling at the Rainbow Reef was an unforgettable experience.
You will need to pay for a locker at Adventure Cove – big lockers cost more than small ones, so avoid bringing big bags with you to Adventure Cove. Check the weather forecast before going, as some rides may be closed during thunderstorms for safety reasons. Finally, make sure you do visit the RWS Adventure Cove Waterpark website for the latest information on their discounts, promotions and special activities. Combined tickets for various RWS attractions are available for a discount.
Get there early and avoid the crowds.
All in all, we really liked Adventure Cove and enjoyed ourselves there. Yes there could have been one or two more scarier rides featuring free falls, but that was not a deal breaker. By incorporating so much marine life into the park, Adventure Cove has a truly unique character compared to other water theme parks which are typically just a collection of various water slides. So if you have yet to experience the wonders of Adventure Cove, what are you waiting for?
Adventure Cove Waterpark
8 Sentosa Gateway
Singapore 098269
