Fury of the Nile Turns 40! 1984-2024

promo poster from the 1984 season featuring Fury of the Nile

1984 Souvenir Map

 For those who have only visited Worlds of Fun in the last thirty years, Worlds of Fun in the 1980s may seem like a relatively foreign place. No Mamba, Patriot, or Detonator, and thrill rides proliferated with the names of Orient Express, Zambezi Zinger Omegatron, and Barnstormer (when it operated). One major thrill ride that debuted in the 1980s would be one that would be familiar to modern guests, if at least by name, and that’s the Fury of the Nile (Nile). The Nile would open to the public 40 years ago on May 25, 1984. I can’t remember the first year I rode it, I'm thinking 1987, but one thing I can recall quite vividly is loving it almost instantly. It was just a little bit thrilling, the dark tunnel was ominous, and at least one of the ride’s eight geysers was sure to get you if one of the gigantic waves didn’t. Several years later in 1994 when I worked at the park, I would head back into the park at least once a week and Fury of the Nile was nearly always on my short list of rides to experience. While everyone’s favorite was Zinger or Express, I loved Fury of the Nile and when I first met  Jeff he even gave me the moniker of “water princess' ' for my love of rapids rides everywhere. 

In the tunnel in 1986

Fury of Nile tunnel in 1999

A slightly different view than what we all normally see, also from 1986

Today, The Nile is simply not the same ride as it was back then, but unlike many of its other 1980s counterparts, Fury of the Nile continues to live on. Today, we take a look back at its very beginning, conception to construction, and then how we got from there to today. The whole idea of the rapids ride started in the 1970s when Six Flags Astroworld General Manager Bill Crandell came up with the idea after watching an artificial river created for the Kayak competition at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The prototype, manufactured by Intamin of Switzerland, and the first of several Thunder River attractions, would open in 1980. Covering 10 acres, and powered by two 350-HP pumps, Astroworld started a torrential tidal wave of rapid rides across the country. Six Flags itself would expand the concept to Six Flags Over Georgia in 1982 and Six Flags Mid America in 1983. Europe got into the mix in 1983 when Efteling opened Piraña, the first rapid ride with a turntable loading system. 

Looking down at the lift hill with the ride completely drained. 

Same lift hill area holding water, (most of the ride is drained)

Fury of the Nile was the first domestic rapids ride with a turntable loading system

In November 1983, Worlds of Fun announced the 10th version of the Intamin Rapids ride, Fury of the Nile, which would be the largest, and longest rapids ride built at its time, it would also be the first rapids ride in the United States to feature the turntable loading system. Powered by three 250-HP pumps, (but containing four) Nile was unique for many reasons. Unlike the prior rapids rides built, Nile could store all its one million gallons of water inside the ride itself, though it could also be pumped in and out of the nearby Buccaneer Bay at Oceans of Fun. This unique design element was created by the local Kansas City engineering firm Burns and McDonnell. Guests passing Fury of the Nile on their way between the two parks might notice the water levels being high in the lift hill section of the ride. It is this area that is over 20 feet deep and designed to hold all the ride’s water allowing the majority of the ride to be emptied and filled within minutes. 

The four 250-HP pumps 

One of the empty pump pits (the pumps above usually sit in these pits)

You can see the three operational pumps in this photo (there are four but only three are used at once)

The theme of the Nile is ancient Egypt, complete with hieroglyphs, colossal statues of the Pharoah,  and even the voice of “King Tut” in the tunnel during its earliest years. Why? Well besides the obvious fact that Nile is located in the African section of the park, the 1980s witnessed a huge revival of interest in ancient Egypt partially thanks to a tour of “Treasures of Tutankhamun” in the late 1970s, and reflected by various media of the time, think the Bangles “Walk Like an Egyptian” and Steve Martin’s “King Tut” on Saturday Night Live.  Fury of the Nile fits right into that timeline niche and proves that the love of all things ancient Egyptian has never really died.

Lake 2 with full theming in the 1980s

lift hill with Egyptian artwork in 1988.

Similar view in 1999.

The Nile would open to the public on May 25, 1984, complete with 8 geysers, multiple waterfalls, rapids, and 1,800 feet of churning, foaming water!  Like many attractions, Nile had its share of mishaps in its early years. In June of 1984, one of the ride’s 23 6-seat rafts would flip over, injuring two riders (a 9-year-old boy had a broken leg). The ride was slightly modified including the removal of waterfalls in the tunnel. Since that point, Nile has had fairly uneventful operations, with no other major accidents reported. This does not include ride shutdowns and unscheduled ride evacuations which happen on all rides from time to time.

You can see the boat positioned in the background (its the smaller conveyor belt)

walking the turntable 

Nile "sudded" in the 1980s

Nile cleaning in 1986

Over its next 40 years of operation, Nile would comprise more stories than anyone could share at one time. Ambassadors recall the many trough-cleaning parties (where the trough would be emptied and then scoured cleanish). There was also at least one known situation where ambassadors attempted to “sud” the Nile, in much the same way that Voyager had been for many years. This involved filling an empty trough with soap and then letting the pumped-in water create millions of soap suds. It was only marginally successful due to the vast amount of water incorporated into Nile vs. Viking Voyager. Then there were the day-to-day operations. Walking (running?) incalculable miles on a never-ending turntable in subterranean heat waves, made even worse in the 1984 inaugural season by safari-style helmets issued as part of the ambassador costume. Then there was/is the boat positioner which was supposed to align boats with the turntable but never actually worked (does it work now? I doubt it, but it never did anyway). 

During the 1980s Worlds of Fun ride operations also unofficially competed against each other in what was called  “Turnstile Wars” which pitted Nile against several other high capacity rides in the park (Zambezi Zinger, Viking Voyager, Orient Express and in one notable moment, the Worlds of Fun Railroad) to see who could reach the highest capacity in one hour. Nile’s highest recorded, actually achieved ride capacity for one hour at least up until 1985 was 1,777 in ONE hour! Just for those who haven’t done the math, that's all 23 boats, all filled with 6 guests each, running roughly a 4.5-minute ride cycle. Yes, those ambassadors were running around the turntable! But they got a great workout!

2000, with the red "bloody nile" water, that's me in the photo by the way

A skeleton, haunted boat in 1999

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Lake 2 with the blue water in 1998

For guests of Nile during its many years, Nile is full of memories of standing on the hot asphalt in line as it snaked down the colossal queue line, the infamous dyed blue water (or red, I’ll get to that), water pouring over the sides from torrential waves, unsuspecting geysers (that were on timers, the ambassadors couldn’t control them), and the waterfall at the end. In 1998, 14 years after Nile opened the park would “plus”  the ride during Boo!Blast (which later became known as Halloweekends) dying the water red, and theming one of the boats with skeletons. The ride was then “re-named” Fury of the Bloody Nile. It would remain that way every Halloween until at least 2003. 

Geyser in Lake 1

1st geyser from Lake 2, from 2003

2nd geyser from Lake 2, from 2003

The most recent photo I have of a geyser working in 2017

Over the last two decades of the ride, Nile has slowly been modified and “left to its own devices” allowing the ride that we all once knew and loved to fall from the premier level it once was at, to the literal mild river float trip that it is today. Of the eight total geysers I haven’t seen a single one operate in the last few years and for the last decade maybe one or two occasionally. The various “obstacles” on the base of the trough that create the waves have been modified, and increased, to a point that the waves that once would almost drown riders in the boats, now barely lap at the edge of the boat. Why? Probably mostly due to cost, but also probably due to apathy. Apathy as in that the era of “massive water ride expansion” ended in the 1990's. Rapids rides are no longer the hot ticket that they were once considered to be. To the point that many parks these days are REMOVING their rapid rides to add the newest, biggest coaster or some other major attraction. Carowinds removed their rapids ride in 2009 to make way for Copperhead Strike, and Hersheypark removed their rapids ride Canyon River Rapids for its water park in 2008. Rapids rides are large, expensive, and require a large staff to maintain and keep in operation. Worlds of Fun has always been blessed with land, there was no need to look at ride removals to make way for Mamba or Patriot of Prowler, and there is still a great deal left for expansion. That fact has saved Nile, the lack of industry enthusiasm for rapid rides has caused it to languish. Unlike general industry apathy, I  do not believe that amusement park fans' zeal for rapid rides like Nile has diminished, and many still line up for a good soaking, just look at Silver Dollar City (Mystic River Falls) and SeaWorld’s (Infinity Falls) newest updated rapids rides. I do not know what the future holds for Nile, I hope it involves an update, as I would love to welcome back the ride I truly once adored.

Rapids 2 from 1999

Rapids 2 from 2016