Splash Water Falls opened in Six Flags Great Adventure in 1987. Manufactured by Hopkins Rides, it was a 50′ model shoot the chute splashdown water ride. It had a bridge over the ride’s pool where people could get splashed. In 1992, Franklin Shearer, general manager of Hersheypark, and a vice president of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, took his family to a park in New Jersey and rode a shoot the chute ride. This ride was most likely Splash Water Falls.
Then, in 1993, two Pennsylvania parks introduced their own splashdown water rides: Pittsburg Plunge at Kennywood Park (yes, the name of the ride is correct) and White Water Landing at Dorney Park. Another nearby park, Adventure World, in Woodmore, Maryland, introduced Shipwreck Falls.
To outdo them all, along came Hersheypark. Since 1991, the park had only added one major ride – Sidewinder (today Jolly Rancher Remix). Hersheypark was due to add a new major ride. Seeing what their neighboring parks were adding, and park guests wanting more water rides, the answer was obvious.
Splashdown
On Friday, May 27, 1994, Hersheypark debuted Tidal Force, manufactured by Hopkins Rides. At a cost of $4 million, it was called the world’s tallest splashdown ride. As it turns out, Tidal Force was actually one of three Hopkins splashdown models with a height of 100 feet to open in 1994. The other two rides were built in Fuji-Q Highland and Nagashima Spa Land, both in Japan.
Tidal Force is a simple figure-8 concept, with a 95 foot drop. The boat would careen down the chute and create a huge splash of water which would cascade over the ride’s pool, rocks, and then the midway. People could stand in several places to get splashed by the ride. This includes on the bridge over top the pool, an observation deck at the exit, and in the midway facing the ride.
Tidal Force in 2010.
History
The plans for Tidal Force were submitted to Derry Township for approval on October 6, 1993. Two revisions on the plans occurred on November 29 and December 7, before achieving final approval.
The same day the plans were submitted, Hersheypark announced the new $4 million ride, though it did not have its name yet. The addition of the new ride added 3 acres to the park, increasing the park from its 87-acre footprint.
Franklin Shearer, general manager of Hersheypark and a vice president of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, said:
It will be our wettest ride ever. If you thought you got soaked on Canyon River Rapids or Frontier Chute-Out, you haven't seen anything.
The ride was manufactured by Hopkins Rides. Hopkins Rides had been in the water ride business since 1980 and had been installing multiple splashdown rides, log flumes, and river rapids rides around this time frame.
The ground breaking ceremony for Tidal Force occurred on December 20, 1993.
Many advertisements for Tidal Force appeared in the offseason between 1993 and 1994.
The Hershey Bears had a Ride The Tide night on April 6, 1994, when they faced off against the Springfield Indians. Fans in attendance received a one day pass to Hersheypark that was good through July 4, 1994.
Tidal Force was anticipated to open on the park’s grand opening day, May 7, 1994. However, by the end of April 1994, the ride was only 60 percent complete.
Just from April 30 to May 5, significant progress was made on the ride. Among other things, the down chute was completed and connected to the pool.
By the middle of May, the ride was complete and in testing.
Guests were invited to Hersheypark to ride Tidal Force on May 24, 1994, three days before the ride opened to the public. Though the ride was slated to open on Saturday, May 28, the park surprised the public by opening Tidal Force one day earlier on May 27.
1997 Hersheypark advertisement featuring Tidal Force
This is the oldest video of Tidal Force on YouTube, posted on September 9, 2007.
Tidal Force splashdown, in 2007
Below are examples of different utilizations for Tidal Force when its closed during Christmas (2015) and Halloween (2024) shoulder seasons.
Changes to Tidal Force
1994
On the weekend Tidal Force opened, a teenager was injured on the observation bridge when the teen was knocked back into a metal fence on the bridge. The park reported that there were other complaints of minor injuries reported when people were getting off the ride or standing on the bridge (which include incidents such as tripping and bee stings).
Park officials said that technicians changed the characteristics of the tidal wave so it broadens the area where the wave hits. This reduces the force of the splash. This was accomplished by lowering the rails on the track where the boats enter the lake.
An automatic water fill system was also completed during the first week of June 1994. This allowed the ride to have better control of the boats as they stop, having an effect on the wave as it comes over the bridge, as well. Both changes evolved the wave so it formed into more of an umbrella, rather than coming more directly at the observation bridge.
At the time, more than 70,000 people had ridden Tidal Force. The ride was checked and approved by Derry Township’s code enforcement officer after the incidents.
2003
On June 28, 2003, a boat on Tidal Force failed to brake at the end of the splashdown pool. News outlets reported that during one ride cycle, a boat went down the chute and instead of braking, slammed into a side guardrail in the splashdown pool, causing what were described by the park as bumps and bruises.
Tidal Force was closed for approximately a week and then reopened with modifications completed such that another similar incident could not occur. The capacity of the ride was cut because from that point forward, fewer boats were utilized on the ride.
2007 to present
In 2007, Tidal Force was incorporated into The Boardwalk at Hersheypark. To accomplish this, the entrance of Tidal Force was moved so it would be accessed from The Boardwalk. The queue was reconfigured and the old entrance blocked off.
In the 2010s, the exit queue was reconfigured to bypass the observation bridge.
Ride The Tide one last time
In more recent years, Tidal Force has experienced long periods of shutdowns. In some recent seasons, Tidal Force was delayed in opening by several weeks. It came of no surprise then in spring 2025, when numerous survey markers were found around the Tidal Force area.
In November 2025, the park map on the Hersheypark app was updated for Hersheypark Christmas Candylane. The map displayed a construction zone marker next to Tidal Force, in The Boardwalk.
Ultimately, this did not relate to Tidal Force, as the construction zone was utilized for redeveloping the area near Bayside Pier, which became Bayside Pier The Island and The Inlet.
When the park reopened for Spring Weekends in 2026, it was found that Tidal Force had been certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to operate for the 2026 season.
Tidal Force reopened on May 22, 2026. When The Boardwalk at Hersheypark opened, more survey markers were found in the area around Tidal Force.
Tidal Force's Last Splash announced
On June 9, 2026, Hersheypark announced that 2026 would be Tidal Force’s last season of operation. The announcement was sent out via email and social media. Tidal Force will close after September 7, 2026.
Hersheypark started selling a t-shirt commemorating Tidal Force.
Shortly after the announcement, Hersheypark posted their final Official POV of Tidal Force.
Support The Amusement Parkives
Preserving amusement history is a full-time ride. Your support helps us digitize rare maps, document forgotten thrills, and keep the nostalgia alive for the next generation of fans.
Help us keep the digital gates open and the archives growing.