Зурбаган

Zurbagan occupies a plot at Parkovaya Street 9 in Sevastopol, inside Park Pobedy and a short walk from the Akvamarin hotel. It is run by OOO Gidropark RU and describes itself as a multifunctional complex of pools and water attractions: a water zone with wave, hydromassage and children's pools together with the slides, waterfalls and fountains, plus a relaxation area, cafes and bars, changing rooms and a first-aid post.

The slide tower is the tallest thing on site. A Multislide drops 14 metres over a 29-metre run, and a second cluster of harder rides stands at 14 and 11 metres - the Black Hole, a bodyslide, a free-fall chute and a Kamikaze. Alongside them runs an extreme ride called the Wave, taken on an inflatable ring at a claimed 15 metres per second and finishing without a plunge into the pool. Small children get their own set of cartoon slides shaped as a rabbit, an octopus, a snake and an elephant, between one and 2.5 metres high, landing in water only 25 to 40 centimetres deep.

The two adult basins are quite different from one another. The central pool is the ornamental one: a fountain throwing water up to 30 metres, hydromassage jets, a waterfall, showers in several styles, and heating that brings the water to 30 degrees. The wave pool is the swimming one, shelving from zero at the shallow edge to 2.2 metres at the deep end, which the operator presents as usable by small children and adults alike. Three catering points sit around the water: a pizza and fast-food cafe called Akvapizza, a summer bar named El Kapulko with soft drinks, alcohol-free beer and cocktails, and a bistro serving home-style cooking.

Zurbagan opens daily from 10:00 to 18:00 with no closing day, and prices its tickets by height rather than age: 1,950 roubles for a full day for anyone under 140 centimetres and 2,250 above it, with cheaper four-hour and two-hour passes. Children under 90 centimetres enter free provided they wear a waterproof nappy, and nobody under 16 is admitted without an adult. Pensioners and students pay the child rate, and one recurring warning is worth reading before arrival: the ticket desk accepts cash only, with no card payment at all, and the nearest cash machine is in the lobby of the Akvamarin hotel at Parkovaya 11.