How the water coaster is conquering waterparks in Europe!

June 12, 2026

‘Hoewel er sinds de introductie van de Master Blaster in de jaren ’90 al enkele van deze attracties in Europa te vinden waren, komt de bouw van watercoasters nu pas echt op stoom. En zonder enige moeite worden deze attracties de populairste in elk waterpark’

_{Image: Inaki Laucirika}

For over thirty years, water coasters have been one of the most fascinating hybrids between a water slide and a roller coaster. While traditional slides rely entirely on gravity, water coasters use powerful water jets to propel visitors uphill multiple times. This creates longer, more dynamic rides that are closer to a roller coaster in terms of experience than to a classic water slide.

History

The origin of the modern water coaster lies with NBGS International (New Braunfels General Store), the Henry family development company behind the famous Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Texas. Jeff Henry, son of Schlitterbahn founder Bob Henry, was constantly looking for ways in the 1980s and 1990s to make water attractions longer, more dynamic, and more “roller coaster-like.”

Together with Thomas Lochtefeld (known for the FlowRider), the idea arose to move inflatable boats not only down but also back up using powerful water jets. This led to the opening of Dragon Blaster at Schlitterbahn New Braunfels in 1994, widely regarded as the world’s first modern uphill water coaster. Visitors were propelled uphill multiple times by water jets, a concept that was revolutionary at the time.

The success was so great that a much larger successor followed two years later: Master Blaster. This installation from 1996 combined multiple drops, hills, and water-powered launches and was considered the benchmark for water coasters worldwide for years.

NBGS initially produced the attractions itself but had no ambition to become a major international manufacturer. Therefore, in 2003, the company entered into a licensing agreement with the Canadian company WhiteWater West, which obtained the rights to produce and sell the Master Blaster technology worldwide.

The equally Canadian ProSlide subsequently pioneered the HydroMAGNETIC LIM water coaster around 2012, in which boats are propelled upwards by means of magnets. You can read more about LIM here.

This technology caused a true revolution within the water park industry, and its introduction is seen as the moment when water coasters definitively made the leap from “slides with a few uphill sections” to full-fledged water roller coasters. Thanks to LIM technology, longer layouts, higher capacities, and steeper hills could be realized than ever before.

In addition, ProSlide took up the challenge to thoroughly improve the Master Blaster concept, which led to the opening of Singha at Siam Park in 2015. The spectacular combination of water coaster sections, sharp changes of direction via the FlyingSaucer turns, and innovative propulsion using two rows of parallel water jets set a new standard for what a water attraction could be.

Europe

Following the introduction of the Master Blaster, it also appeared in a few locations in Europe, including Port Zélande in the Netherlands, but the number of water coasters in Europe remained quite limited or very short, featuring only a single uphill section. Many water parks preferred to invest in slides or family attractions rather than in the technically complex and relatively expensive water coasters.

In recent years, however, that trend seems to have reversed; since 2015, the number of water coasters in Europe has been rising slowly but steadily. With the opening of the dueling RocketBLAST coaster Saifa at Siam Park in 2023, Europe gained another groundbreaking installation, while the opening of Kilauea at Aquopolis Villanueva de la Cañada near Madrid in 2026 appears to herald a new phase.

As a result, the future of the European water coaster looks more promising than ever. While for years the continent could mainly rely on a handful of installations, several new projects are now in the pipeline and competition between parks is growing. The coming years will have to show whether Europe is truly catching up, but one thing seems certain: the water coaster is making a remarkable comeback.

Existing water coasters in Europe

New and announced water coasters in Europe (from 2026)

On the map above, we find the following announced installations:

2026 – recently opened: Kilaulea in Aquopolis Villanueva de la Canada near Madrid (ProSlide)
2026 – recently opened: WaterFly in Land of Legends Turkey (WhiteWater)
2026 – recently opened: a Mini Blaster kids coaster in Land of Legends Turkey (WhiteWater)
2026 – a ProSlide kids coaster in Caribe Aquatic Park in Port Aventura World, Spain
2027 – a WhiteWater Master Blaster at Oceana water park near Liseberg in Sweden
2027 – a RocketBLAST coaster in Aquascope (ProSlide)
2027 – a ProSlide coaster in Etnaland, Italy
2028 – a ProSlide Rocketblast coaster at Pairi Daiza Aquapark in Belgium

Is an existing or new water coaster missing from this overview? Let us know in the comments!