Hello steemians!
Growing up in the province, we were not exposed to theme parks and resorts. I personally don't think much about those places because I don't know the feeling; I only saw them on TV. Maybe the reason why I love climbing mountains is I feel at home; I'm more familiar with mountains and nature than theme parks.
When I was young, our slide was a grassy side of a hill and we used coconut palm as a makeshift sled. We would continuously slide down the hill all day. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. All we had to worry was to keep our butts from being cut by the sharp edges of the grass.
I remember when we transferred to the city that the playground became different. What was a steep hill slide became a water slide in a swimming pool. It became man-made. The memory was still vivid to me when I had my first swim in a public swimming facility in the city. I enjoyed swimming the whole day until my eyes became bloodshot red, maybe due to sun exposure or due to the heavily chlorinated water.
When I was in college, we had a plant tour in Luzon and one of the side trip itineraries was to go to Enchanted Kingdom. I love everything about theme parks especially the rides. I am such a fan of rides that I tried the Space Shuttle (roller coaster) twice. The first try was scary, but the second one was so much fun.
Now, do you know where I'm going in this post? Well, some might say that theme parks are just ordinary, but I beg to disagree; people would really smile when they're in theme parks. Universal Studios or Disneyland are always in itineraries when people travel abroad. For some like me whose childhood had been devoid of anything fancy, theme parks will really catch my attention.
When we visited our family friends in Cagayan de Oro City, they brought us to Seven Seas Waterpark and Resort and that's what I'm talking about in this post.
Warning: Huge photo dump ahead.
SEVEN SEAS WATERPARK & RESORT
Seven Seas is one of the most loved summer attractions in Northern Mindanao. It was opened to the public in October 2017 and made a buzz locally. I mean, who would not want to experience a waterpark that has slides for all ages? When we were told that we will visit Seven Seas, I got too excited to try their slides. I know it would be exhilarating so I took extra care of myself so that I won't be sick on that day.
Seven Seas is located in Barra, Opol, Misamis Oriental. It's open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. I think that's enough to enjoy the park and experience their rides and slides with your family and friends. I will have to share the photos in sections of the water park. Let's start with the entrance.
Seven Seas Entrance
We arrived at the waterpark at around 8:00 AM because we need to choose a good spot and cottage to rent. Even if it was Thursday, it was expected to be full of people due to their promo and discount which we availed a few weeks before.
[1/3200 secs @ f/4.5, ISO 12800, 15.0 mm]
There were already a lot of people waiting for the opening of the waterpark when we got there. People of all ages were waiting in line. It took longer for us to enter even if we were early because the guards were so strict with what items to bring inside.
[1/3200 secs @ f/4.9, ISO 12800, 33.3 mm]
From the entrance, you can already hear the park jingle that was played on the loop. I think it can be heard all throughout the waterpark.
I love the landscape at the entrance.
Disclaimer: The photos I took were after we had fun and when we were about to go home. Maybe due to excitement, I wasn't able to take photos in the morning. I loved it when there were a few people at the entrance.
Children's Pool
The children's pool was one of my favorite places in the waterpark. It's so colorful and lively that any child would really enjoy playing those playground structures at the center of the pool.
There's a pail above the playground that is continuously filled with water and once it's full in like every minute or so, it will tilt to spill over the water. Those children were really enjoying while waiting for the water to spill over them as I was also waiting to take a photo.
[1/3200 secs @ f/5.6, ISO 500, 45.0 mm]
I tried to be under the pail so that the water would gush over me and it was so fun. I even displaced those children who were playing.
[1/3200 secs @ f/5.6, ISO 1250, 45.0 mm]
It was really nice to feel like a child again. I feel like I don't have any problem to deal with. Just sitting there while hearing the children laughing and shouting is one of the best memories of that place.
Buccaneer Bay [Big Pool]
At the center of the whole waterpark is the big swimming pool. I'm not sure if it's a wave pool, but it was really massive. I wanted to take a plunge, but it was so hot and there's no shade once you're in the pool so I ditched the plan. I only took a lot of pictures. In fact, almost all of the photos above are from the big pool.
Cottages are located at the side of the pool. If you're a fan of sunbathing, you can actually do that just like those foreigners I saw enjoying their dose of sunshine at 12:00 PM.
[1/3200 secs @ f/5.6, ISO 500, 45.0 mm] | [1/3200 secs @ f/4.0, ISO 320, 15.0 mm]
Since I didn't swim in the pool, taking photos of my friends was my priority and I was enjoying it. It was a delight to see them splashing and playing but would stop and smile when I shout for a photo.
At the edge of the pool that's facing the sea, there's a pirate ship structure that served to identify Seven Seas.
The orange landscape provides a great contrast to the blue sky and swimming pool.
[1/3200 secs @ f/4.0, ISO 640, 15.0 mm]
My friends were really enjoying and they quickly obliged when I when I want to take a photo amidst the blazing heat of the sun.
Pira-Chute
The Pira-Chute is one of the two slide structures in the waterpark. It's an open slide with two rotation loops. At the same structure with the Pira-Chute is the dual slide that's six stories high. I think their dual slide is new, but it was fun when we tried it.
[1/3200 secs @ f/4.0, ISO 1250, 15.0 mm]
[1/3200 secs @ f/4.0, ISO 500, 15.0 mm] | [1/3200 secs @ f/5.6, ISO 500, 44.5 mm]
We enjoyed the dual slide so much that tried it five or six times. Imagine the exhaustion after climbing the six-storey building and then slide and then climb up again. As for the Pira-Chute, I only tried it once because I felt dizzy at the tube part and got stuck in the middle of the open part.
Plank Drop
Plank Drop is one of the most loved attractions in Seven Seas maybe due to the thrill associated with the slide. It's a vertical drop in a tube where a plank would disappear before your feet after a countdown. You would be free-falling inside the tube at some point.
[1/3200 secs @ f/5.6, ISO 500, 45.0 mm] | [1/3200 secs @ f/4.0, ISO 250, 15.0 mm]
I didn't try the Plank Drop because of my dizzying experience at the Pira-Chute. I just enjoyed taking photos at the top of the tower. What I enjoyed was the Cyclone which was also located at the same tower as the Plank Drop.
Cyclone
The Cyclone is also one of the most loved slides at the water park. It's a cone shaped slide and the inflatable used for the slide required four people so it's good for groups. We loved it that we tried four times until we were exhausted to climb the stairs of the tower.
[1/3200 secs @ f/4.0, ISO 640, 15.0 mm] | [1/3200 secs @ f/4.0, ISO 2500, 15.0 mm]
That's some exhausted but happy faces right there! There's actually another ride that we tried called Mighty Maui River, but for some reasons I don't know, I haven't took any photos in that place at all. It's the longest man-made water rapids at 500 meters.
I guess that's all for this post. I hope you'll like it. If you do, leave a comment down below and show some love. Next post will be under Definitely Cebu series and it will be about a mountain here in Cebu that I climbed twice. I missed the mountains so let's go back! And no, I haven't featured it yet here.
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in the Steem blockchain. He is a chemical engineer by profession, but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits secluded destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines) and the rest of the world even if he's still a poor corporate slave with tons of bills to pay and two siblings to support in college.