Get a super soak at Carowinds’ Boomerang Bay

Nothing sounds more like summer than the satisfying slap of wet feet on cement, the squeak of a slightly sweaty inner tube and the joyful screams of people whooshing down a water slide.

Boomerang Bay, part of the Carowinds theme park, opened for the season last weekend, and there’s something for all ages in this aquatic complex. Here are five things you won’t want to miss when you visit the water park.

Down Under Thunder: This four-person family raft slide takes riders twisting and turning down four stories in a route full of high-banked turns and sudden dips. My 11-year-old daughter and her friend rode this three times in a row.

Sydney Sidewinder: Also fun for the whole family, this, to me, is a classic water slide. A pair of open tubes shoot riders down a twisty path that has a few unexpected swerves. Report from the 11-year-olds: great, but it could be longer. I agree. I could ride this one all day long.

Pipeline Peak: Only for the more adventurous, this series of four enclosed water slides are marked with “5,” a designation that means “Aggressive Thrill.” Two are inner-tube slides and two are body slides – the latter require you to sit directly on the surfaces of the slides, and can be bumpy and rough. Also, the enclosed tubes can be scary for younger children (kids must be at least 4 feet tall to get on). Also note: Swim suits with zippers, buttons or hard rivets are not allowed on the body slides; be aware of this before you wait in line.

Bondi Beach: This 34,000-square-foot wave pool is perfect for relaxing (unless it’s overly packed with park guests). Waves come every 10 minutes – announced by a very annoying siren over a loudspeaker – and you can splash and surf to your heart’s content. The 11-year-olds loved attempting to body surf.

Jackaroo Landing, Kangaroo Lagoon and Kookaburra Bay: These areas are for the youngest members of your family, with pools for infants and toddlers as well as changing areas and lockers. Jackaroo Landing is a three-story water jungle gym with the ever-popular 1,000-gallon drenching bucket that dumps water on happily screaming children every few minutes.

A few tips

This story was originally published May 31, 2012 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Get a super soak at Carowinds’ Boomerang Bay."