Sometimes when life gets too serious, we need to remember to take a break and have fun or try something different. On that note, there is a new water attraction in Kihei, Maui that will certainly be enticing to residents and visitors alike! It’s called the Fishpipe: the first ever Rotating Barrel Ride. It looks like a human-sized hamster ball, but it feels like a mile-long water slide.
Fishpipe riders will climb into a large, inflatable ball that is suspended about a foot off the ground by a steel frame. Twenty gallons of clean water are added and the ball will begin to spin. Fishpipe riders can let the Operator know if they want a leisurely ride, or a speedy slip and slide. The speed gauge ranges from 1 to 10, with the fastest setting at up to 45 revolutions a minute (11 feet per second). Riders can lay forward, backward, or sideways, just enjoying the feeling of continuously sliding, or stand up, run, and attempt to do some knee surfing! If you’d like to try it with your friends, family, or just let your kids pile in, up to 3 riders can climb into Fishpipe at a time. If you’ve already taken your ride, or if you’d rather just watch your friends go in, there is an area with shaded seating. Watching is almost as much fun as riding- spectators are always smiling.
The Fishpipe was invented in New Zealand, two years ago, by three geniuses of amusement park ingenuity, David Akers, inventor of the Fishpipe itself, Andrew Akers, inventor of the double skinned inflatable ball, and Chris Roberts, the team’s mechanical engineer. Together, they created something really fun that also doubles as an excellent cardiovascular work out.
There are only 11 Fishpipes in the entire world, and luckily for us, Kihei has two of them! Residents of Maui get a fantastic Kama’aina rate, so if you live at one of our beautiful South Maui homes, this is a short drive, a great deal and the opportunity to try something new! Have fun!
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