Monday, April 7 1997; Page F03
The Washington Post
THE JOYS OF SUMMER

A boat slowly careens up to a daunting 30-foot slope. Once it reaches the crest, a rotating platform spins the craft about 150 degrees. With the boat facing backward, and little warning, the eight passengers are propelled at high speed through a channel and camel-hump chute.

But their cruise isn't over. The vessel now climbs up a seven-story incline, revolves back into the forward position and screams down a fast-flowing water chute.

In a nutshell, that's the experience promised by the Typhoon Sea Coaster, a massive water thrill roller coaster that will be part of a $14 million expansion planned at Adventure World, the 115-acre water and theme park in Largo. The additions will bring to $40 million the amount that owner Premier Parks Inc. has spent on the amusement park since its purchase in 1991.

Premier hopes the new attractions will push attendance to more than a million visitors this summer, nearly triple the number in 1992. More important, the company believes the expansion makes the park more competitive against regional rivals like Kings Dominion, Premiers President Gary Story said.

The expansion will also include a new 10-acre buccaneer adventure village called Skull Island. The $12 million village is being designed to transport visitors back to a time when piratical villains roamed the open seas, sharpening steel and swashing buckles whenever a treasure ship came into sight. Inside, Skull Island will be a staging area for stunt shows.

The last addition is the 25-acre water adventure park at Crocodile Cal's (as in the Baltimore Orioles' Cal Ripken Jr.) Outback Beach House. The park is constructing a 24,000-square-foot tiered water play structure with bubbling geysers, shower bursts, water cannons and 150 water-powered play features, like a 45-foot-long replica of a pirate ship.

Let the fun begin. -- Judith Evans

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