Kerzner International is set to open Aquaquest – the 63-acre waterpark at the heart of its US$1bn Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in The Bahamas – in January next year.

The park mixes waterslides, river rapids, waterfalls and waterholes with special effects, such as fire, smoke and fog, and a series of escalators, waves and water surges which mean that once guests have entered the attraction in an inner tube they don’t need to leave the water and climb back up to the top of a ride – they will be propelled back up via conveyors.

At the centre of the attraction is the Power Tower, a 71ft tall tower offering a choice of four adrenaline slides including The Abyss, a near vertical 50ft drop in total darkness, and three inner-tube rides, The Drop, The Falls and The Surge.

The park also features The Current, a one-mile long river loop which includes 8ft high elevations and drops and whitewater rapids, plus an 80ft underground tunnel and caves, and The Grotto Pool and The Baths.

Sol Kerzner, executive chair of Kerzner International, said: “It is simply not enough for us to deliver new water rides. Our goal is to redefine the concept of a waterpark.”

George Markantonis, president and managing director of Kerzner International Bahamas, added: “In designing AQUAQUEST, we challenged the best designers, creative minds and water ride technologists to work with us to take the water experience to a different level.

“We believe there is something innate within human beings that causes them to react to fire and water. We believe that enhancing visuals and landscaping within the experience gives guests another energy, another layer of excitement, a feeling that they are in a place they’ve never been before.”

Atlantis, a 171-acre, 2,917-room, ocean-themed destination resort features three interconnected hotel towers; a marine habitat featuring 50,000 creatures in fresh- and saltwater lagoons, pools and habitats and The Dig, a maze of underwater corridors and passageways offering a journey through ancient Atlantis. A dolphin interaction and education centre called Dolphin Cay is also set to open early next year. Details: www.atlantis.com