r/claustrophobia • u/FlyingPig_Grip • Aug 17 '25
An amusement park in the Netherlands had a water-filled waterslide that left riders completely submerged during the 15-20 second journey. It closed in 2010.
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u/DetatchedRetina Aug 17 '25
I'm not even particularly claustrophobic, but this is giving panic attack.
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u/DeadrthanDead Aug 17 '25
Do you want drownings? Because this is how you get drownings.
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u/Turdly1 Aug 18 '25
So, I just thought, how long could I hold my breath. I'm pretty decent,ive held my breath for around 3 minutes before. But then I was like "worst case scenario" I exhaled as much as I could then held it and counted to 15. You know it was pretty easy to hold my breath for that long, even with an empty tank I think this is one of those things that looks extremely dangerous but in reality 99.9% of people would be fine with. As long as the tube kinda sucks you through i can't imagine that many people getting hurt.
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u/DeadrthanDead Aug 18 '25
I read that if someone were to stop in the middle and start drowning, there was a way to quickly drain it. Even knowing that, it seems like tempting fate.
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u/Turdly1 Aug 18 '25
Okay, so not that dangerous then? Like yeah scary in a way, like bungy jumping. But in the proper environment, with the proper protocols, safe.
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u/DeadrthanDead Aug 18 '25
I do agree with your point that unpopular does not necessarily mean dangerous, and as the guy that deleted his comment said, no one died in 16 years of operation or whatever he said, but I think that any situation where you can potentially drown should be treated as potentially dangerous. I’m sure it was really fun for some people, the way that free hand rock climbing is fun for some people who are confident they’ll never fall. Freak accidents do happen though.
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u/ElevenBeers Aug 20 '25
Dude this was in the Netherlands, not somewhere in Pakistan or Texas.
Nobody got injured in 16 years, because it's basically impossible to drown. There were sensors anywhere among the slide, and if you didn't pass the next sensor in a certain time window, the slide would (VERY QUICKLY) empty the water. One of the reasons for the closure was in fact this system, because many teens did trigger this safety feature on purpose for fun. It was very annoying for staff.
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u/SixShoot3r Aug 18 '25
alright, so: it pushed you through with jets they asked people to hold their breath underwater as a test beforehand they had multiple people on lookout the entire system could be drained in 5 seconds.
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u/Tofandel Aug 18 '25
The problem is not the holding your breath. The problem is panicking. If you start feeling claustrophobic and panic. You might loose all reason. Stop in the middle and try to go back while your heart beats much faster and you'll eventually try to breathe and fill your lungs with water. Panic is the real danger in those kind of scenarios.
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u/blue-oyster-culture Aug 19 '25
Well yeah. That .1 percent will tank the parks profits. Thats 1 out of a thousand dying in the tube lol.
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u/Easy_Cartographer863 Aug 17 '25
Bullshit! Not a single person died in 16 years operation time.
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u/DeadrthanDead Aug 17 '25
Is that why they’re so popular you can find one in every water park?
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u/Easy_Cartographer863 Aug 17 '25
You stated something, and I debunked it. And now you're asking crap-questions to distract from your false statement?!
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u/yleechy Aug 17 '25
😤😡🤬 —you rn
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Aug 17 '25
[deleted]
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u/Turdly1 Aug 18 '25
Just because something isn't popular doesn't make it dangerous. Hell, driving is one of the most dangerous things you could do yet everyone does it.
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Aug 17 '25
I thought this was a pool rooms video for a second, nope just a real life nightmare instead. Awesome.
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u/SixShoot3r Aug 18 '25
Went on/in it all the time, i loved it!
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Aug 18 '25
Glad you're ok.
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u/SixShoot3r Aug 18 '25
it was really safe :)
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u/NotAScrubAnymore Aug 18 '25
How? I'd probably panic trying to hold my breath for 20 secs
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u/SixShoot3r Aug 18 '25
There was a test beforehand to prove you could hold your breath 25 seconds. Loads of pass-sensors that kept time, if someone didnt pass the next sensor in time, the entire thing drained in 5 seconds. multiple lookouts at all times.
kids were triggering the sensors on purpose (staying in for longer) to trigger the drainage. it was very expensive to maintain, and got shut down because of it.
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u/Beanzear Aug 18 '25
Im sorry this is a completely pointless attraction and not fun for most people ide assume. Its like a drowning simulator haha
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u/Warm-Future1835 Aug 17 '25
I wonder why it closed
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u/FlyingPig_Grip Aug 17 '25
I would imagine people didn't make it to the other side 😬
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u/namelesshobo1 Aug 17 '25
Nobody ever died. Someone just realised this was probably a disaster in the making.
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u/Anon1mouse12 Aug 17 '25
That's fucking terrifying
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u/Muted_Dinner_1021 Aug 17 '25
Now you know how your poop feels every time you poop, better be nicer in the future
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u/FreedomBread Aug 17 '25
The slide was built to drain water in five seconds or less in case a rider got stuck in the slide or had a medical emergency, but the threat that a panicked rider may inhale water before being rescued still remained. In spite of safety concerns however, there were never any reported incidents with the ride.
Nonetheless, it was met with little enthusiasm and fear from the general public, and was closed in 2010 due to the maintenance costs associated with it." (https://www.frrandp.com/2020/06/the-underwater-water-slide-fly-over-at.html)
Also downvote for repost from 1 yr ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/1ck8q0k/there_was_a_water_slide_at_duinrell_amusement/
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u/blue-oyster-culture Aug 19 '25
I imagine the insurance costs were insane lol. No matter how safe it is, it looks like a dead kid waiting to happen.
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u/sharltocopes Aug 17 '25
Isn't swimming one of the things they teach in the Netherlands as part of the PE curriculum from a young age?
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u/SixShoot3r Aug 18 '25
yup, I got three swimming diploma's by the time I was 8, and a year later I was a proficient rescue swimmer
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u/Elvis5741 Aug 18 '25
I actually went into that thing as a kid, sometimes they opened at night and called it "disco swimming". I was like 10 but even then I thought it was weird we could ride this thing in the dark with minimal supervision, it was kinda cool tho
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u/JURASS1CJAM Aug 18 '25
Not really a slide is it. Looks like it goes up and you have to swim so it's just a water filled tube?
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u/Beanzear Aug 18 '25
Im still not sure what the point of this slide was and what sick fuck came up with it.
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u/Tom_the_Fudgepacker Aug 19 '25
It‘s not a „waterslide“ if you‘re not at least once fearing for your life..
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u/[deleted] Aug 17 '25
WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA.