Pirates Island Waterpark at Beaches Turks and Caicos a watery wonderland

I can take a 12-year-old boy, I think. Turns out, I'm wrong.

I’m in the SurfStream simulator by American Wave Machine, one of only four such wave simulators in the world. Located at Beaches Turks and Caicos, this man-made aquatic adventure at the Pirates Island Waterpark has me belly down on a board in the churning froth. It looks easy; I mean, there’s this 12-year-old kid cutting left and right on his belly board, so I take my turn, dive in and have at it.

The kid is to my immediate left and for a few exhilarating moments, we cut back and forth, in unison, until the kid gives a holler and bangs into me (not quite sure if it was accidentally or not). I ricochet off the wall and the wave catches me, shooting me backwards to the shallow landing area lined by rubber mats to keep you from blasting into the back wall. It works, though landing hard on my hip on the mat reminds me that perhaps such physical pursuits are best left to the young.

And the young – and of course young at heart – will love this water park, which was renovated and expanded in 2008, boosting it to 10 times its original size to become one of the Caribbean’s biggest water parks. With seven all-new slides, the sprawling park is one of Beaches Turks and Caicos hottest spots to cool off.

The two biggest slides were my favorite, one a winding, swirling descent on a rubber tube and the other far scarier. You slip into this one on your butt – sans tube – and you’re plunged into a wet, spinning, pitch darkness that slams you around bends, down straightaways and, on your first ride anyway, with no way of knowing when it will end until suddenly you’re spit out into a giant pool. Best advice: Hold your nose when you get to the bottom, lest you nasally ingest a fair amount of water.

 For the less adventurous sorts, check out the lazy river, a 650-foot long waterway winding through the park, that lets you float on a tube and flow with the current, through a mermaid trail, overhead boardwalk and grotto, occasionally pummeled by waterfalls or water cannons.

The park also features a pool and aqua play area for little ones, and it’s a sure-fire hit with families and small children, giving them ample, safe places to slip and slide and enjoy the water in a faux beached pirate ship with water cranks and sprays to let them douse their friends.

I eyeball the wave simulator one last time before I leave the park, entertaining the notion of a repeat visit. But that 12-year-old boy is still there, hooting and hollering and enjoying his brief reign as king of his watery domain. Let him have it, I figure. My hip still hurts from the last time.


Beaches Turks and Caicos
Lower Bight Road
Providenciales
Turks and Caicos, BWI
Phone: 649-846-8000
Website: www.beaches.com