The Parkz Update: Summer kicks off at Sea World with The Reef at Castaway Bay

Sea World officially launched their latest attraction today, a fully accessible interactive splash area located inthe theme park's Castaway Bay area.

Image: Parkz. The Reef at Castaway Bay is now open at Sea World.

Update By Richard Wilson
5 December 2017

Summer is only just underway and already there's no question that Sea World's latest attraction The Reef at Castaway Bay is a hit with its target audience as swarms of young families descended on the play area.

The Reef is a long-awaited replacement for the theme park's water park which closed in recent years. Located at the back of Sea World, it builds on the adjacent Castaway Bay too add a further layer to a growing arsenal of interactive, physical attractions aimed at young families.

The area is fully wheelchair accessible and disability-friendly, with flat surfaces and wide open spaces. There's also plenty of shade,deckchairs and open grassy areas for families to relax and enjoy the surrounds.

With The Reef at Castaway Bay now open at Sea World, Parkz was invited along to check out the expansive new splash area.

The Reef has opened as part of the Castaway Bay section of Sea World.

It's located in the back corner of the park where the water park was once located.

The area is a blend of realistic rockwork and cartoon sea creatures.

And of course water, lots and lots of water.

On this quiet Tuesday at Sea World it was already a hive of activity with young kids swarming the area.

It's very bright, colourful and full of energy thanks to the dozens of fountains and water effects.

One corner of The Reef features an impressive volcano.

It's a nice tip of the hat to the once iconic volcano on Bermuda Triangle.

Dozens of small volcanos spurt water.

The smaller volcanoes build nicely on the mood set with the the large volcano in the corner of The Reef.

Despite the fact that it's zero depth (meaning no pools or bodies of water), you will get wet if you enter.

Cartoon creatures add a vibrant rainbow of colours.

The animal sculptures give the kids a run for their money in the happiness department.

Coral on the rocks also adds to the effect.

The detail on the fibreglass sculptures is exactly as we've come to expect from VRTP in recent years.

Though the characters are all unique, there's definitely inspiration drawn from undersea franchises like The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo or Shark Tale.

Soft rubber surfaces means kids can enjoy themselves at full speed.

The area is fully wheelchair accessible thanks its flat surfaces and wide open spaces.

The area is full of water, kicking it up a notch from the nearby Battle Boats which is really only semi-wet by comparison.

The nearby Battle Boats are quiet with The Reef drawing most of the young families looking to get wet.

The two areas join seamlessly with each other.

These fish are pretty damn happy.

It serves as a great, aesthetic element of theming.

Gentle grass hills surround the area giving plenty of space for patient parents to watch their kids exhaust themselves.

It's safe to say it's a hit with the target audience.

Plenty of opportunities to get soaked.

It's a fairly simple concept, but it definitely helps build Sea World up into a great family park.

The area pulls off the mix of realism and fantasy quite well.

The monorail passes over the new area. Plenty of shade and deckchairs exist for parents to sit and enjoy some quiet time while they keen an eye on their children.

The volcano is now an icon visible throughout the park.

Disney call this kind of feature a 'weenie' in their theme parks, a large structure visible throughout the theme park designed to drawn guests towards it.