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He's Opened More Than 20 Waterparks. Meet David Busch, The CEO Behind SuperSplash USA

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  • 4 min to read

"So has this been less stressful, about the same, or more stressful than all the other water parks you’ve opened?"

That’s my question to David Busch, CEO of the new SuperSplash USA (formerly Big Surf Waterpark) as we stand at the foot of the park's brand new Patriot's Plunge waterslide. The slide is ready for opening day; a team of teenage staffers just tried it out for the first time.

Staff at SuperSplash USA try out the new Patriot's Plunge slide, visible from Highway 54, on Monday, May 12.

**EDITOR'S NOTE: SuperSplash announced on May 22 that due to the forecast chilly, rainy weather over Memorial Day Weekend, the park's Grand Opening has been rescheduled for Friday, June 6. SuperSplash will still be open on Saturday, Sunday, & Monday of Memorial Day Weekend, though, and anyone who attends will get a free return-ticket to come back for the Grand Opening.

But all around the park, one sees the signs of frantic bustle in preparation for the grand opening.

"Yes," David responds, laughing.

Standing next to David is his longtime business partner Jeff Swift. Jeff has been overseeing the major renovations to the waterpark during the winter months, since it was purchased last fall. "Just managing my investment," he says.

Jeff Swift & David Busch

Jeff Swift (left) and David Busch, co-owners of SuperSplash USA.

Nearby, a landscape worker sprinkles fertilizer into holes where he prepares to plant rose bushes. Construction debris is scattered across the parking lot (Jeff promises it will all be gone and cleaned up by opening day, of course), and the waterpark itself looks very much like a construction zone.

"It’s 24 hours a day!" David adds, and he’s not joking. Construction crews seem to be working nearly around the clock, and the two men are both confident that the park will be ready to roll for its opening day on Saturday, May 24. (You can buy tickets here.)

The other element that the new ownership added during the off-season, a brand new Adventure Island kiddie-area, is still in pieces, scattered around the future 6-inch deep pool. The elements were manufactured in Mexico and brought here on nine trucks. David says seven of them made it here, but two got stuck at the border. While we are talking, he receives a text from one of the truck drivers. It appears truck eight will soon be on its way.

At a nearby coffee shop, I bump into an employee who works for the slide installation company. They've been hustling to help get the park open, but he too explains that Adventure Island's components were spread across all nine trucks, so once the final truck arrives, it'll be all-hands-on-deck.

Adventure Island -- 2 weeks before Grand Opening -- awaiting final trucks from the border.
Adventure Island -- Being Assembled On May 21

Adventure Island at SuperSplash USA -- assembly on May 21

With all the uncertainties, David seems sure of one thing: it will almost certainly come down to the wire.

This isn’t these guys' first rodeo.

It’s not even their 20th.

David and Jeff, along with other partners, have been opening water parks since the 1970s.

Ironically, their very first waterpark was named "Big Surf."

Years later, when a park by the same name opened at Lake of the Ozarks, David's original "Big Surf" sent the Missouri Big Surf a warning about a potential trademark violation. But he says they didn’t press the issue in the end, deciding it wasn’t worth worrying about a similarly named waterpark halfway across the country.

"So I guess the solution was just to buy it!" I suggest. He laughs and agrees, glad that Big Surf Lake Of The Ozarks, constructed in 1988, was in excellent condition when his team decided to acquire it in 2024.

David loves transforming waterparks. It started for him after he worked as a VP and General Manager at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City. David "got the bug" for running an amusement park, so he and his wife found some investors to help them buy a defunct waterpark on the west coast. His vision, calm determination, warm charisma, and love for the industry took David and his family on a ride that, decades later, is still going.

Walking and talking with David Busch, two weeks before SuperSplash USA opens.

David says he became a Christian in the midst of those busy years, and his passion for his business took on an even deeper, spiritual component. Since then, the waterparks he runs always come with a mission. He wants these places to be family-friendly, and he's unapologetic when he takes opportunities to share his faith with visitors and team members. SuperSplash USA, for example, will be hosting special evenings for Lake area churches. A staff chaplain program has brought local pastors and church leaders aboard to help encourage and counsel the many young people who staff SuperSplash during the summer.

His career has led David to the purchase and transformation of more than 23 different waterparks or amusement parks across the country, even as far away as Hawaii.

Every one of them is full of stories. But he says the process, while different for every park, always has one constant: the final weeks leading up to the grand opening always feel a little like chaos.

"Fire up the wave pool," he calls to an employee. A few minutes later, the park's famous waves are lapping the shore, and he smiles. Sure, it's busy. But it’s going to be a great summer at SuperSplash USA.

Editor's Note

I interviewed David Busch for Take on the Lake, a podcast produced by LakeExpo, and the episode will be released on Friday, May 23. Make sure to subscribe at the links below!

You can find Take on the Lake on most of the common podcast platforms. Note: the video versions, which I post to Facebook and YouTube, are typically later to come out than the audio.

Here's where to find Take On The Lake:

facebook.com/takeonthelake

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/take-on-the-lake/id1807862952

https://open.spotify.com/show/7A5woldRM7O3lFlsoPirBw

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9f74e3c3-4a15-4f7e-b91f-2e4007215aa2/take-on-the-lake

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0njBERPqvrOJerAnDrcTfMgdff-9_Dbb

https://play.pocketcasts.com/podcasts/907d8160-f87c-013d-99c7-0affc63511bb

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-take-on-the-lake-272237152/

https://www.pandora.com/podcast/description/take-on-the-lake/PC:1001100614

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