The Durrat Al Bahrain Aqua Park, which is expected to open during the summer, is being enhanced so that it conforms to a special theme while the construction area is being expanded.

The BD6 million ($15.9 million) park was earlier scheduled to open in July in time for the two-month Bahrain Summer Festival but was completed in November.

The management has now decided to add a theme to the park and a Spanish firm has been engaged in the design work, according to a spokesman of Durrat Al Khaleej Bahrain.

The theme is based on Old Bahrain and the era of Gilgamesh, the legendary Babylonian king, combined with a concept of a jungle, he adds.

The park was designed by Canadian-based White Water and has been built by Bahrain-based Fast Contracting Company.

The 50,000-sq m facility is the first of many attractions being planned for the 20-sq-km mega resort being built on the southern tip of the island, about 35 km south of the Askar Roundabout. The park is said to have already received an initial Class A rating from the US-based World Water Park Association (WWPA).

'What this means is that the facility meets all world-class standards as a first-class tourist attraction," says park manager Sim Chookheng.

'It will be an important designation when Durrat Al Bahrain, and Bahrain itself, is being promoted in the global arena as a tourist destination.'

The park will accommodate around 4,000 people at a time and will feature nine different activities are available within the park:

* Wave Pools: there are two wave pools located adjacent to each other - the first of their kind in Bahrain. Here guests can experience the fun of swimming against the ocean waves, or lazing on the beach splashed by the 1-metre waves.

* Children's play area (two areas) - this Caribbean-themed Family Adventure pools are specially created for toddlers and children

* High thrills slides (4 slides)- the tallest is a steep drop from 17 m, launching guests up to a speed of 50 km/h;

* Inner tube slides - the complex has four different 'tubular' and 'open' slides that will carry guests through twist and turns on special inflatable tubes down to the splashdown pool below;

* Lazy River - 500 m long;

* Surfers' Paradise - a surf simulator where guests can surf with a surfboard.

* Adult pool with interactive games;

* Bumper boats;

* Beach volleyball and soccer.

With the expansion a further two rides are expected to be added.

The park will also have a Jacuzzi, two restaurants and a number of kiosks.