Making waves. Silverwood's Boulder Beach grows in popularity with hotter temps

The water gently laps over tired feet, teasing the toes with cool refreshment on a scorching hot day. Closing your eyes, you let your mind drift away from work and responsibilities to a northwest paradise.

This is heavenly.

Then a bell rings, and seconds later, joyous shrieks fill the air as dozens of children charge into the water. Waves rise and fall as hundreds of people of all shapes, sizes and ages enjoy an ocean-like experience. Each wave is better than the next — proving you don’t have to go to Hawaii to catch a great wave. You can find this in North Idaho at Silverwood Theme Park’s Boulder Beach.

These waves appear thanks to innovative technology that the public has no idea exists.

“The waves are made with air pressure from giant fans,” said Matt Stevens, Silverwood’s Director of Maintenance and Construction. “A lot of people think it’s a hydraulic system, but it’s not. We have five different programs that we can use depending on the number of people in the wave pools.”

Boulder Beach is wildly popular during July and August, so much so that

Silverwood added a new attraction this year called the Riptide Racer. It has six individual tubes that send riders down a 400-foot slide from a 60-foot tower.   

“This is a prime example of how we think when we're acquiring new rides,” said Silverwood General Manager Paul Norton. “We've been noticing our area is becoming warmer, and our water park has been extremely popular in the past few years. This puts a lot of stress on the infrastructure, and so we saw a need for another major attraction to reduce the lines on the other slides.”

In addition to the wave pools, Boulder Beach has more than a dozen water slides, kid play areas, and the Lazy River, which allows kids of all ages to float around the circular waterway. Adults age 21 and over can consume alcohol throughout the water park.

Silverwood Theme Park has a total water capacity of 1.6 million gallons, drawn from the Rathdrum Prairie aquifer. A few years ago, Silverwood invested a significant amount in a wastewater treatment plant as part of an infrastructure upgrade. Silverwood irrigates some of the 600-acre property with repurposed water.

Boulder Beach uses between 35,000 and 45,000 gallons a day.

“Maintaining water quality throughout the park is a top priority,” said Stevens. “We have automated systems in place to ensure the highest standards, and we check things manually throughout the day. It’s a big challenge, but the water must be clean.”

As serious as Silverwood takes water quality, protecting the lives of thousands of people is even more important. The theme park employs 115 lifeguards to watch over Boulder Beach attractions. 

Lifeguards spend countless hours training and practicing life-saving techniques. They even use a dummy named Timmy for routine safety audits.

“You’d be surprised how many kids know Timmy,” said Josh Malpica, Silverwood’s aquatics supervisor. “If Timmy goes in the water, lifeguards must go after him immediately.”

Lifeguards wear necklaces as part of their uniform. If you see a red bead, it means they’ve saved a life. 

“We’re always watching because you never know what can happen,” said Malpica. “We want people to be safe.”

For more information, visit www.silverwoodthemepark.com/

Chairs, inner tubes and life vests

While there's lots of seating at the wave pools, the chairs get taken quickly. It’s a good idea to stake a chair claim whenever you can. That means putting a towel on the beach chair you intend to use later. It’s considered very poor form to move someone else’s towel. If you arrive later and most of the chairs are taken, don’t despair: chairs open up throughout the day.

The blue inner tubes in the Lazy River are free, but they must stay in the Lazy River. On busy days, wade in and be patient. Somebody leaving the water is bound to give you one. You can rent clear inner tubes and floating mats near the locker rooms.

 Life vests are free. You’ll find them all over the water park.

Tickets please!

Silverwood is no longer selling its season passes or single day tickets at Costco Wholesale. Customers can find the lowest discount prices on passes and tickets online at www.silverwoodthemepark.com throughout the summer season.

--Written by Marc Stewart, Director of Sponsored Content

If you’re interested in learning more about sponsored content, contact Kari Packer,  Sales Manager at the Coeur d’Alene Press. She can be reached at (208) 664-0215 or at kpacker@cdapress.com