Vernon Matters file photo

By Liam Verster

Six Slides Non-Compliant

Splashdown Vernon opening delayed, waterpark calls it devastating

Jun 27, 2025 | 2:48 PM

Due to safety concerns, the North Okanagan’s water slide park won’t be opening on time this season, much to the disappointment of the operator.

In a release shared to Vernon Matters, Technical Safety B.C. (TSBC) said it determined that six of the 11 slides at Splashdown Vernon were non-compliant and issued the park a failed certificate of inspection during pre-season inspections.

“When hazardous or recurring non-compliances are identified, the operator must address them before those slides are permitted to operate,” Technical Safety B.C. said in the release.

“We have shared the requirements for the operator to complete the work, and we will be ready to conduct any required follow-up inspections as quickly as possible.”

The agency said there were several injuries at the Bridal Falls Waterpark last summer, including a life-altering injury to a child, and Splashdown Vernon has a tube slide similar to the one that caused issues.

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The water park where the injuries occurred was issued three specific recommendations. They were shared to Splashdown to help bring their slides up to code.

• It is recommended that daily inspection proedures and training specifically detail the need to identify bulging, movement of the flume, or deviation of the flume shape when it is located directly in the path of riders. If any of these deficiences are identified, it’s recommended that they be immediately assessed, and scheduled for repairs.
• It is recommended that prior to each operating season, or at least once annually, owners have completed a detailed slide condition assessment by a manufacturer’s representative or other third-party qualified individual to identify any deterioration of the core and/or flume supports that should be monitored or repaired.
• It is recommended that owners train all operators and attendants to, once notified of an unsafe condition in a flume surface, immediately cease allowing patrons to enter, or continue down a slide, until such time as the condition has been investigated through a direct, and hands-on assessment by a staff member qualified to perform slide inspections.

Splashdown Vernon was scheduled to open today (Friday, June 27),but the date has been pushed back until further inspections can be done and the slides are re-certified. The waterpark said the news was devastating to its operations.

“The immediate impact is we’ve now cancelled our first two days of the season, and we’ve issued hundreds of refunds to ticket holders, that’s not just tickets that’s hundreds of individual purchases with multiple family members and friends per purchase,” Russel Steunenburg, Director of Operations at Splashdown Vernon, told Vernon Matters.

“So lots of people are missing out on their vacation. We’ve had birthday parties that are planned, kid’s start to the summer vacation that they planned with an awesome birthday party here. It’s really sad, we’ve gotten a lot of emails from disappointed people.”

The waterpark representative said they also have approximately 100 employees who are out of work while the park is closed.

Steunenburg added the safety code for water slides had not changed and they followed the recommendations and feel they were meeting the safety criteria. He said they felt ‘unfairly targeted’ about how an incident elsewhere in the province could have these types of impacts on this site.

When asked if the park would partially reopen, as five of the slides are certified, Steunenberg said that would not be the best practice for the local park.

“We’re very proud about how incredible, how vast, the different types of experiences we give to our guests…young, old, thrill-seekers, people who just want to relax in the sun and picnic and hot tub,” Steunenburg told Vernon Matters.

“We have things for people of all ages here, and without all of our permits being available, that is not the case. We can’t have a family with kids of different ages and friend groups come and all find what works for them. They can all have a unique experience that is enjoyable. We fall short of that if we were to go the route of a partial opening, and I’m not saying we won’t do that, but if we were it would change the guest’s experience. It changes what we’re offering so significantly because so many groups need that variety and need that ability to choose what their preference is when they’re here because not everyone’s looking for the same slide or ride experience.”

Splashdown Vernon had reportedly requested a follow-up inspection, but that had not been done as of time of publication. There was also no estimate for when the park would reopen.

TSBC has not responded to a request for comment from Vernon Matters.

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