Big Kahuna’s Water & Adventure Park in Destin, Fla., home to about 40 water attractions including lazy rivers, waterslides, and a surf simulator, has been keeping patrons wet and happy for almost 40 years. But as the park, built on a sand bed in 1986, aged, those attractions settled, cracks formed in walls and floors, and leaks became rampant.
“We tried concrete repair, caulking joints, lots of paint. All temporary fixes,” says Brandon Moore, senior vice president of waterparks and family entertainment centers for Virginia-based Lucky Strike Entertainment, which owns Big Kahuna’s and other waterparks, along with hundreds of bowling alleys around the country. “But we came to a point where we needed a permanent solution to seal the pools back up.”
That permanent fix came in the form of Infinity Pool Surface, a commercial-grade, 60-mil PVC membrane system manufactured by a North American-based company, Poolside by CGT. In December 2022, the membrane was installed in the Humunga River at Big Kahuna’s by Aquaholic Solutions LLC, a certified sub-contractor to Ultimate Pool Surfaces. The improvements were immediately apparent. Their ability to engineer solutions and regard to detail makes them a go to installer.
“At the start of the season, we struggled to fill the river in a timely manner due to loss of water,” Moore says. “After we put the PVC membrane in, we were able to retain water, and it took less than three days to fill it.”
“Concrete finishes are very difficult to maintain, because of the constant upkeep,” says Jeremy Heersink, account manager for Poolside by CGT’s North American Commercial Pools. “This is where a PVC membrane system makes so much sense. It’s a much more maintenance-free system, and it offers a 100% watertight guarantee for 15 years.”
Beneath that, a geotextile underlayment serves as a barrier between the membrane and the original surface, helping ensure a smooth application. Infinity membrane can be installed over tile, paint, plaster, fiberglass or steel finishes, and it offers a fresh and clean appearance with an anti-slip option, preventing the repeated costs and hassles of constant resurfacing.
“I don’t know if all pool professionals are aware of how flexible this product can be and the areas that it can be used in,” says Clyde Scrooby, director of technical sales for Ultimate Pool Surface in North Carolina, which is a United States distributor for Poolside by CGT. “In a waterpark environment, concrete pools and water slides are more common.”
When Moore visited Ultimate Pool Surface’s booth at a World Waterpark Association trade show, he realized Infinity could solve his problems not just in Humunga River but also in the park’s other lazy river, and a 300’ plus tube slide that feeds into the Humunga lazy river, which were refinished with Infinity membrane in 2023 and 2024.
Industry trade events and word-of-mouth have been key to Poolside by CGT’s Infinity’s recent success in the waterpark world, according to Scrooby. “Once people see it installed, I don’t have to say anything,” he says. “The product speaks for itself.”
Enhancing the Waterpark Experience
Of course, proper installation is critical. Heersink notes that it’s a developed skill set, which is why Infinity installers need to be certified by Poolside by CGT. The manufacturer provides technical support and certification training for pool builders in both commercial and residential applications throughout North America. (The company also offers a collection of popular residential membranes inspired by European designs via its Aquasense Signature line.)
“We’ve been supporting the residential market since the 1960s and the commercial market since the early 1980s,” Heersink says. “Over time, we’ve evolved from simply manufacturing the product to becoming a full-solution provider, manufacturing the membrane itself and supporting every stage of the process. That shift is fueling our growth today. We're not just supplying material, we’re delivering the full system, including technical support and training. While we’ve long offered installation training in Europe, we’ve now placed greater emphasis on providing it here in North America to ensure every project receives a proper fit and reliable installation every time.
The membrane is welded onsite, and welding is a major focus of the training, he adds.
The installations at Big Kahuna’s required precision and custom-made fittings, Scrooby notes, as well as the removal of thick paint in areas where stainless steel terminations were required. But all those efforts paid off.
“The guests are happy to see the park updates being done,” Moore says. “That’s what we’ve heard, and we’re showing them that we’re always improving the park experience by investing in the property.”
Lucky Strike is investing in its other waterpark properties, too, recently installing Infinity membrane at Shipwreck Island in Panama City, Fla., which the company acquired in April.
“This is the start of the product being used in a waterpark experience,” Moore says. “I speak with other individuals in the industry who are looking at solutions for pool repairs, and this is a product I’ve recommended at least a dozen times. Come the start of every season, it’s so easy to clean. The staff likes that. Before, we were power washing the surface, pulling out old caulk, repainting. There was a lot of labor that went into it. Now we just go out and wipe the membrane down and refill the pools. It’s a permanent solution — thick membrane that minimizes leaks and labor — and since we’ve had the system installed, we’ve had no issues. It’s been a great experience.”
Resources:
Poolside by CGT Commercial and Residential Membrane
Poolside by CGT PVC Membrane Welding Training Course
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