Martin Aquatic Receives WWA Leading Edge Award for Icon of the Seas Waterpark Design
Martin Aquatic Design & Engineering, a renowned aquatic firm, is rejoicing in its success at the recent World Waterpark Association Annual Conference. The team responsible for Category 6, the waterpark aboard Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, was honoured with a Leading Edge Award.
Since its debut, Icon of the Seas has garnered significant acclaim and accolades as the ultimate family holiday destination, particularly for its impressive Category 6 waterpark and onboard waterslides. The waterpark was awarded a Leading Edge Award during the WWA Annual Conference 2024, recognising Martin Aquatic for its innovative design work on this remarkable project.
Pushing the Boundaries
This state-of-the-art waterpark features six distinctive water slides, each boasting its own unique attributes—from the tallest slide to the first family raft ride—and is the largest at sea.
Among the thrilling slides are Frightening Bolt, a 46-foot-tall waterslide with a trapdoor launch, making it the tallest on a cruise ship, and Pressure Drop, the first open freefall waterslide at sea with a nearly vertical drop. Guests can also experience Storm Chasers, the first two-person headfirst mat racers at sea; Hurricane Hunter, the first four-person raft slide at sea; and Storm Surge, the first suspended raft slide at sea featuring an over-the-edge clear acrylic panel.
“Collaborating with Royal Caribbean and the rest of the project team is always an incredibly cooperative effort, and for Icon of the Seas, we were able to completely reimagine what could be achieved on a cruise ship,” states Josh Martin, president & creative director of Martin Aquatic. “Category 6 Waterpark pushes every boundary of what was previously thought possible, and Martin Aquatic was thrilled to deliver a design that turned out to be so iconic.”
With two previous wins alongside Royal Caribbean, this marks the design firm’s fourth time receiving the prestigious Leading Edge award. Martin Aquatic was part of the project team that earned accolades for the brand’s private island resort, Perfect Day at CocoCay, in 2019. The company also received awards in 2020 for the first cutting-edge slide packages installed during the overhaul of Navigator of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean began envisioning this new class of ship before 2018, when Martin Aquatic joined the development team and contributed to the design of several attractions for this ambitious and creative project. The day Icon of the Seas was unveiled marked the cruise line’s largest booking day ever.
Meet the Team
Following the WWA Show, Martin Aquatic will also take part in IAAPA Expo 2024 in Orlando later this November. The team will be exhibiting at booth #2854. Josh Martin will present during two educational sessions, including Hasbro: Innovating the Waterpark on Tuesday 19 November at 8:30 a.m. and Creating Waves: A Conversation about Surf on Wednesday 20 November, at 9:35 a.m.
Earlier this year, Martin Aquatic was also recognised by Aquatics International with a Dream Designs Award for its unique water park design for the newly opened Serengeti Springs at The Hattiesburg Zoo in Southern Mississippi.
