I've always wondered something...

[cblodg]

...and maybe you have too. Why is the bottom of the wave pool at TL hard and scratchy? I can understand trying to get traction on the bottom, but when that wave hits you (expecially the young and unstable adults <I was avoiding "elderly">) you still tumble around on that bottom.

I can't tell you how many scrapes I got/get from getting slammed on this hard bottomed pool.

 

[One Lil Spark]

...and maybe you have too. Why is the bottom of the wave pool at TL hard and scratchy? I can understand trying to get traction on the bottom, but when that wave hits you (expecially the young and unstable adults <I was avoiding "elderly">) you still tumble around on that bottom.

I can't tell you how many scrapes I got/get from getting slammed on this hard bottomed pool.

Perhaps aside from trying to provide traction, simple erosion is occuring on the bottom of the pool because of the constant waves? :shrug:

Good question!

 

[Master Yoda]

Traction is the simple reason but it is kind of a catch 22. You kind of have the choice between a bunch of people slipping and falling all the time or a few people getting a few scrapes. There are a few, somewhat new, less abrasive solutions but they are considerably more expensive and no where near as durable.

 

[disneyworld07]

That is exactly what my family and I all came back wondering! We went in June 2007 and came back scraped up having generally spent the mornings at the water parks. I obviously assumed it was for 'grip' so that you can stand back up after taking a battering from the waves - but man is it scratchy!

Anyone know why its so rough? Is it just in need of a 'resurface'? Or is this intentional?

 

[Master Yoda]

That is exactly what my family and I all came back wondering! We went in June 2007 and came back scraped up having generally spent the mornings at the water parks. I obviously assumed it was for 'grip' so that you can stand back up after taking a battering from the waves - but man is it scratchy!

Anyone know why its so rough? Is it just in need of a 'resurface'? Or is this intentional?

The bottoms of concrete pools can become rougher over time due to both mineral build up and erosion. This very well might be the case at TL. The refurb period this year is especially long and it is rumored that this is due to an extensive refurb of the wave pool. Resurfacing might be a part of it.

 

[Ilovewishes]

We can only hope!!

My one abiding memory of my first trip to TL when I was 9 is of having to have a piggy back back to the car because my feet had been rubbed raw by the bottom of the pool! I'm 24 now and I still remember the pain!!

 

[Philo]

I've got some nice TL pool scars on my foot from when I went surfing there. I just assumed they were going for that genuine pain felt when falling off over the barrier reef....

It's got to be for traction, those waves are very, very powerful (even right near the shore) and anything less rough would send people flying to the ground or into other people. Basically, a little scrapping on the floor is better than a few cracked heads.

 

[jasondiff]

People might sue Disney if they fall and break bones or get concussions, but not for some simple scrapes on your arms and legs.

 

[CanadianMegan]

I am 23, I still remember the scrapes and injuries from the wave pool when I was 11!
Ouch! It is still pretty burtal. I hope during the refurb it is changed.

 

[gettingsmaller]

I generally avoid wave pools for this very reason...

Also, I have kids that are 5,7,9. So, the youngest can't go very deep. I don't mind wave pools when I can be in chest-deep, but the waves--and the bottom of the pool--are generally rough in the shallow part... in most wave pools, it's just too hard to try to keep your 5-year-old from being grated on the bottom like so much cheese...