What it's like to slide down Double Dare at SunSplash in Mesa

Mesa Golfland SunSplash's newest water slide, Double Dare, is not for the faint of heart.

Its entire setup — from the small tube where riders enter to the audio track of a heart beating to the trap door below — is meant to keep people uneasy before they careen down six stories of twisting, spitting water slide.

"All the anticipation is before the ride and waiting for the ride to drop," said Tony Jones, a park spokesman.

Double Dare opened in May as the waterpark's newest attraction and has already been a hit with parkgoers, Jones said.

Potential riders often wait 20 minutes or more before taking their eight-second ride down the slide with a nearly vertical drop.

The line isn't without its entertainment. People waiting in line can see riders as they make the initial, nearly vertical drop before the slide levels out. A clang every time the trap doors open provide a regular reminder that riders are being dropped down.

It's not uncommon for people in the line to debate with friends or family whether they have the guts to actually go down the slide.

Jones said the slide's trap-door starting point is the only attraction like it in Arizona.

Double Dare is the latest addition to the park since SunSplash welcomed the Revolution for the 2012 season. The seven-story attraction catapults single and double riders in rafts into a large bowl before shooting them down a slide.

The park has more than a dozen other water attractions, including multiple slides, a lazy river and a wave pool.

SunSplash is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday until August.

Check golfland.com/mesa for additional information about its hours.