Depth Charge

Open-top boats that slide down a water flume - lighter than Tidal Wave, still gets you wet.

Is Depth Charge open today?

Yes — Depth Charge is open right now, with a 15-minute queue (as of 20:02 UK time).

Typically 18 minutes at this hour over the last 28 days, ranging from about 7 minutes at its quietest to 33 at its busiest — about what this ride normally does at this time of day. Compare with every other ride →

About Depth Charge

Depth Charge is a water slide ride at Thorpe Park in which riders sit in open-top boats and slide down a flume, splashing into a pool at the bottom. The format is simpler and less dramatic than Tidal Wave - the boats are smaller, the drop is shorter, and the overall intensity is lower - but the ride reliably gets riders wet and is accessible to a wider range of visitors due to its lower minimum height.

The ride has a military/nautical theme consistent with its name and is positioned in one of the park's outdoor areas. It runs multiple boats simultaneously on parallel tracks, which gives it reasonable throughput and keeps queue times lower than many other water rides.

What to Expect

Depth Charge is gentle enough to be a family ride but still produces a notable splash at the bottom. Riders sitting in the front of the boat typically get wetter than those at the back. The ride is short - the experience from top to bottom takes less than a minute - but it is a fun, low-pressure option between the more intense attractions.

On warm days the queue can grow, but the parallel-track design means it moves faster than it looks. On cold or wet days this ride is usually near-empty.

Tips for Depth Charge

• Milder than Tidal Wave. If you want a water ride but don't want the full soaking that Tidal Wave guarantees, Depth Charge is a better choice - though you should still expect to get damp.
• Good for mixed groups. The low height requirement (0.9m) and moderate intensity make it suitable for groups that include younger children not yet tall enough for the major rides.
• Sit at the back to stay drier. The front of the boat catches the most water at the splash point. Rear seats are noticeably drier, though not fully dry.
• Fast queue movement. Multiple simultaneous boats means the line moves quickly. Often less of a wait than the queue length suggests.

When to Ride Depth Charge

Depth Charge is four parallel slide lanes with toboggan-style boats, and its queue behaves like a water ride crossed with a family attraction: busiest on hot school-holiday afternoons, walk-on much of the rest of the year. Because all four lanes dispatch together, the line moves in satisfying gulps - even a full switchback rarely means more than 20–25 minutes.

Slot it into the same part of your day as the other water rides, and note that it is often the last of the three to build a queue on hot mornings - if Tidal Wave and Storm Surge have already spiked on the live board, Depth Charge is frequently still quiet.

Good to Know Before You Queue

This is the gentlest of Thorpe Park's water rides and the wettest-looking one that actually leaves you driest: expect splashed legs and maybe a damp shoulder, not a soaking. That makes it the sensible choice for anyone who wants the water-ride experience without committing to wet clothes - or for cooler days when Tidal Wave would be masochism.

Racing is the point. Four lanes side by side means families can genuinely compete, and the bump over each dip gives just enough air to make children cackle. It is among the park's longest-standing rides, a holdover from Thorpe's water-park era, and there is a certain charm in that. Minimum height 0.9m; riders sit toboggan-style, so anyone with knee trouble should take the seating position into account.

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