The World's Longest Waterslide Twists Through the Malaysian Jungle

Waterslides are like many of life's most beautiful moments: over too soon.

But a waterpark in Malaysia hoped to make the ephemera last a bit longer by building the world's longest waterslide.

Escape theme park on the island of Penang includes a 3,645-foot waterslide that has smashed world records. The ride lasts three minutes and takes visitors down a 230-foot slope through jungle terrain and tree canopies.

"Breaking the world record was never our intention," Sim Choo Kheng, CEO of Escape's parent company Sim Leisure Group, said in a statement. "I'm always baffled by how rides are made so short and quick. I wanted to build rides that last a good few minutes."

The slide was built from fiber-reinforced polymer, meant to stand in the jungle for years to come. What's especially impressive about the slide's construction is that it was all built without heavy machinery, as part of the park's commitment to preserving the natural environment.

The park cut out one more terrible aspect of waterslides: the ascent to the top. Visitors don't have to trek all the way to the top of the slide to start their experience. The park built a 1,378-foot-long chair lift to bring riders to the top of the slide.

The previous longest waterslide in the world was in New Jersey at Action Park theme park. However, that ride only stretched 1,975 feet and finished in about 90 seconds. The Malaysian slide is almost twice as long.