Brysen Rose had on his swim mask and trunks, and the 7-year-old couldn’t wait to jump into the new Paradise Cove Wave Pool at Sun Splash Family Waterpark.

Why was he so excited?

Simple.

“Because it’s got waves in it!” Brysen said with a huge grin July 8.

Soon, Brysen and his 4-year-old sister Ariella were laughing and playing in the water as wave after wave bounced them up and down in the 12,000-square-foot wave pool — a first-of-its-kind attraction at the popular Cape Coral water park.

The siblings had been “super excited” all morning about the pool, said mom Melissa Rose of Venice, who runs the things-to-do website Fun 4 Fort Myers Kids. She and her family drove down to Cape Coral for a media-only publicity event July 8 at Sun Splash.

“We’re checking it out,” Rose said. “I love it. … And the best part about this is there's no sharks or fish or anything to worry about.”

Sun Splash wave pool opens 4^th of July weekend in Cape Coral

John Paul Opteyndt and his daughter Wren, 3, from Bonita Springs, enjoy the new wave pool attraction at Sun Splash Family Waterpark in Cape Coral Tuesday, July 8, 2025. The park unveiled its new wave pool attraction, Paradise Cove, and held a media tour of the facility.

The $4 million wave pool opened without much fanfare July 3 — just in time for the July Fourth weekend. But bad weather put a damper on the anticipated holiday crowds, said Ron McKenzie, the park’s chief marketing officer.

“Mother Nature didn't cooperate too much,” said McKenzie, sitting in a cabana as the nearby pool's waves lapped the pool deck, mimicking the steady, hypnotic roar of ocean waves lapping the beach.

That changed July 7, though, when the new pool was packed with people laughing, playing and riding the waves in orange inner tubes. “The wave pool was full,” McKenzie said.

The 160,000-gallon pool offers seven different wave patterns and various levels of wave intensity, McKenzie said. “You'll see every level of intensity up to the level that we think our guests can handle.”

Each wave session lasts 15 minutes, followed by a 7-minute break for people to rest, he said. “Every 15-minute wave pattern will be different from the one that was before.”

McKenzie says wave pools are usually the center of any water park. It’s a hub where people can gather, relax and play together. You can’t do that at some of Sun Splash's other popular attractions, such as its "lazy river" tube ride or the water slides.

The wave pool can comfortably fit about 200 people in the water, McKenzie said. It’s surrounded by more than 300 lounge chairs and eight nearby cabanas.

On top of that, wave pools are just fun.

“People have always just enjoyed riding the waves," McKenzie said. “(You're) going to the beach without getting sand in your clothes."

More plans for Sun Splash's wave pool, including 'dive-in movies'

Sun Splash Family Waterpark in Cape Coral unveiled its new wave pool attraction, Paradise Cove, and held a media tour of the facility Tuesday, July 8, 2025.

An official grand opening for Paradise Cove Wave Pool will likely happen later in July, McKenzie said. That will come after the last addition for the pool arrives: A jumbo-sized, 16-foot-wide movie screen for movies and other content.

Sun Splash plans to host “dive-in movies” where people can watch from the pool or lounge chairs, McKenzie said. “People can actually watch the movie while they're floating and lounging in the wave pool.”

They’re also planning special events for more daring park visitors who want more powerful waves.

“We don't have our most intense waves in these wave patterns,” McKenzie said about the park's everyday waves. “But we are thinking that, at some point in time … we'll have some boogie-board nights and things like that. We'll be able to ratchet up the intensity of the waves.”

Tickets, deals for Paradise Cove Wave Pool at Sun Splash

Sun Splash is open daily during the summer. Admission starts at $23 for visitors under 48 inches tall or $33 for visitors more than 48 inches tall.

Various ticket deals are also available this summer, including a $50 “Splash Pass” that gives you unlimited visits through Labor Day and a “Family 4-Pack” that gives you four one-day-admission tickets for $80.

The wave pool — manufactured by New York company Aquatic Development Group — has a maximum depth of 4 feet, 6 inches, McKenzie says. Visitors can find it at the back section of Sun Splash near the park’s three popular drop slides: Terror Tube, Thunder Bump and X-Cellerator.

Sun Splash Family Waterpark is located at 500 W. Lake Kennedy Drive, Cape Coral. For more, call 574-0557 or visit sunsplashwaterpark.com.

Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 or email [email protected]. Follow or message him on Facebook(@charles.runnells.7), Instagram (@crunnells1) and X (@CharlesRunnells).