20 in 2025: Atlantica SuperSplash at Europa Park

Welcome to another installment in our “20 in 2025” series, which highlights coasters that debuted in 2005 (just like Coaster101 did!). Today, we hop across the pond to Europa Park in Germany to visit Atlantica SuperSplash, a Mack Rides water coaster.

The story of Atlantica SuperSplash at Europa-Park begins in the early 2000s, when the park was already home to Poseidon, another Mack water coaster that opened in 2000.

As Europa Park approached its 30th anniversary season in 2005, the Mack family, who own both the park and the manufacturing company MACK Rides, wanted to build a new water attraction that would serve as the centerpiece of the Portugal section of the park.

Construction of Atlantica SuperSplash began in November 2004 and concluded by March 2025. On March 19, 2005, Atlantica SuperSplash officially opened to the public. The coaster combined the thrilling elements of a roller coaster with the traditional shoot-the-chutes style water ride.

The theming of Atlantica SuperSplash is rooted in Portugal’s Age of Discovery, transporting guests to a harbor where explorers would once have set sail into the unknown. The queue is decorated with fortress-style architecture, nautical props and even a full-sized sailing ship known as the “Santa Marian,” which has since become one of the park’s most photographed landmarks.

Each of the coaster’s six boats (cars) carries 16 passengers, arranged in four rows of four, allowing for a capacity of 1,400 riders per hour.

After climbing a nearly 100-foot-tall lift hill, riders encounter a massive rotating turntable that pivots the boat to face backward. From there, the boat rolls down a short reverse dip before meeting a second turntable that spins it forward once more toward the main drop.

The boats careen down the hill at a top speed of nearly 50 mph before cresting a small airtime hill that leads into the final splashdown. The boats then drift back to the station. In total, the coaster’s track stretches roughly 1,279 feet.

The use of turntables to rotate large boats at height had never been seen on a water ride before. Another innovation was the use of magnetic trims on the main drop, which allows control of the boat’s speed and therefore the size of the splash. On hot summer days, guests can expect a soaking, while cooler spring and fall days may bring a gentler wave.

Atlantica SuperSplash also had an influence beyond Europa-Park. Its layout and mechanics became the blueprint for several other SuperSplash rides built around the world, such as Journey to Atlantis at SeaWorld San Antonio.

Have you ridden Atlantica SuperSplash at Europa Park? Share your thoughts about the coaster in the comments section below.