Big Kahuna's Destin

I usually love coming to this place once every summer but this time I was EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED! Paid full prices for myself. My 4 years old, and. My 13 year old. My oat the of the attractions for the little ones were closed only one part was open. Wave pool was broke and little over HALF THE PARK was not operating. Not because they were down just because they lacked staff. Thought I’d was severely messed up to get charged full prices especially for my little one that could little only be in one park of the entire park the whole time was wrong. Less then half the park being closed should have been has the price of the ticket abut looks like this will be my last year coming back! Shame on you Big Kahunas!!

Big Kahuna’s in Destin is a family-friendly water park that pleasantly surprised us with its variety, cleanliness, and lack of crowds. It’s large enough to offer something for every age group—there are areas suitable for toddlers, a wide selection of slides and attractions perfect for kids and teens, and even some rides exciting enough for adults to enjoy. The park doesn’t feel outdated—on the contrary, the equipment seems relatively new and well-maintained. We didn’t encounter any noticeable wear and tear, and everything felt safe and clean. One of the biggest advantages during our visit was the minimal wait time. Despite being there during the summer season, there were no long lines, making the experience stress-free and smooth. We spent around two to three hours at the park, which turned out to be just right for our family. We didn’t try every single ride, but it was enough to enjoy a solid range of attractions and feel like we got great value from the visit. For larger families or those with mixed age groups, this park is a solid choice—it manages to keep everyone entertained without feeling overwhelming. The park closes around 6 PM, so plan to come early if you want to get the most out of the day. All in all, Big Kahuna’s offers a great balance of fun, comfort, and variety, and is definitely worth visiting if you’re looking for a water-based activity in the Destin area.

there are a lot of water slides to choose from. it's way overcrowded because I allow way too many people in there at one time. They have a lot of young people running the place so most of them did a wonderful job especially the two lifeguards that jumped in and saved three people. The food is expensive and not that great. if you want a locker or a lounge chair you better get there as soon as they open. the lockers are very expensive but they do offer different sizes. they have people that search your bags when you come in at the checkout and they will remove food and drinks. however I do believe there is a state law that says customers can take water into any facility or business especially when it's outdoors. This was set up for people that cannot afford $5 for a bottle of water and the water systems are not always sanitary. even Disney allows you to bring in your own water and water bottles.

So worth it for the entire family. Lot's of Slides, Lazy Rivers, pools, Lockers, Tiki gift shops, and Stores. It was a pleasant addition to our family vacation besides beach and ocean activities. You save about $5 per person if you buy online, if you have a large party, but well worth every dime.

Love the park itself but beware not paying for VIP parking you have to park in a very sandy area up the hill and my vehicle got stuck. I was not aware of the SUPER soft sand in the parking spot bc there were zero signs and no cones saying so. I ended up telling one of the parking assistants and the informed me they are not responsible for it and they couldn’t call a tow truck or pull me out, but I could ask the manager for a refund for paying for the tow. Multiple guys stopped after seeing me stranded with 4 kids and no one had any luck Spoke to the manager and he refused me a refund so I had to call a tow truck and pay $200 for them to pull me out. The tow truck guy said he was just there 30 minutes before pulling out other cars who were stuck. Just posting for awareness because I understand not everybody has $200 to dish out because of the lousy parking area.

Awesome time.. no outside food or drinks allowed except for sealed bottles water. Short wai time for lines..not all rides allows swim shoes, so be prepared to walk barefooted around the park.

Busy place of course it's summer. Really my number one complaint is not enough tubes for the park. The lifeguards do their best to enforce the rule of no hoarding. Seems they could use more tubes to accommodate the vast number of people. Water could have less debris and food prices are ridiculous. Do yourself a favor and pack lunches in a cooler and leave them in your car. Get a hand stamp to re-enter the park LOCATED AT THE EXIT little trailer to the right. No outside food or drinks. However, YOU CAN take a tumbler for water as the park is good at reminders to stay hydrated. They have 2 hydration stations to fill your tumblers. Overall good family fun and the water temp is great!! They will search your bags so follow the rules. If you can leave the valuables in the car do so lockers are 18 - 20$. Be nice to the young men and women who work there. Most of them are high-school kids there for the summer they don't make the rules. Kindness goes a long way!!

Went with a big family and we all had a great time! Went beginning of June and it wasn't crowded at all. There were a few things that were different from what my husband remembered from years back. Less shade. No water in the temple. A couple of rides were down but that was no biggie because there was plenty else to do.

Fun water park. We had a really good day here. The small umbrella seats fill up fast but look for the giant umbrella seats on the one side of the park. You can also rent a cabana which we did. It's pricey but we were glad to have it for the baby. Plenty of room for all of us to sit. They provided 4 bottles of water. There is a cooler as well and a safe which we really appreciated. Lots to do for all ages. Some slides you can't have sunglasses, hats etc. Best bet is to just bring yourself. Wearing some type of water shoes that don't come off is beneficial because you can't have loose shoes and the ground gets hot in bare feet. Be sure to bring beach towels and sunscreen. Fun day.

We went on a weekday when it wasn't busy, so my kids never had to wait in a line. The staff is plentiful and lifeguards everywhere. The water appeared to be clean, but definitely had a lot of chlorine. we stayed for five hours and it wasn't too hot with the covered sitting area. The biggest negative thing was the price of food and drinks. A single beer is $10 yes I recommend this place but maybe not on a weekend!!

We spent 7 hours in a car to drive to the west coast of Florida to go to this water park the next day. Honestly felt it was not nearly worth it for the drive over there. Maybe if it was local and it was the only option but living near Orlando we have so many options for water parks much closer. I did not think it was that much to write home about. The lazy river was just that a lazy river. There were not a lot of big rides that you would expect for the best water park in Florida. The food we waited forever for came out and it was barely even warm enough to eat. For the price it costs for food that was pretty unacceptable. This was just not a place I would go to again.

If you decide to go to Big Kahuna's, arrive early before the crowd. Try to eat breakfast because the food lines are very long and you can literally wait in line for an hour or more to order food. It was a little disappointing because some of the water slides were closed and then one pool had to be closed because some little kid pooped in the water. It was fun but if you're not into the crowds or long waits for food and drinks you might prefer something more low key.

We had the best time at Big Kahuna's. I found the property to be very clean and the staff we encountered were all pleasant. I highly recommend getting a cabana. It came with one cold water bottle for each person in a small ice chest. It also has a locker. That would have been so convenient, but it wasn't working. The hostess offered us a free locker which was a short walk away. The best part about the cabana is that you are guaranteed shade. There is adequate free seating, but not always out of the sun. Food was good (love the flat bread), but very expensive. We also had a few cocktails and although tasty, not very strong. My grandsons loved the wave pool and we spent most of our time in that area. The lazy river was very, very slow. Would have like that to move a little quicker. Over all we had a great family day and will be going back.

Super fun family water park. Price is steep but plenty of things to do and next time we will do the two day pass as it can get super hot out!

We wanted to do something different on our Florida vacation and decided to come here for the day. This is a really nice water park. We came here on a weekday in August and it was not crowded at all. There was hardly any lines for most of the attractions. There is so much to do here. They have a huge lazy river with different slides going into it. They have multiple different kids splash areas. My 4 and 2 year old could have played here all day. Our (adults) favorite slide was the kowabunga racer. My only complaint was they need to enforce time limits on the surf stimulator. We got in line for it earlier in the day and watched the same kid on it for 10 minutes before realizing this line was going to take forever if people are allowed on it this long. As the park was closing, we saw it was still turned on and went up since there was no line and they said no, they are closing it after this person. Which would be understandable but I look and it's the exact same kid on there that was hogging it earlier! Another tip I have is to bring flip flops that you can leave at the entrances to the slides, because the pavement was so hot in places that you really could not walk around barefoot from slide to slide. Overall though, my experience was good and I would come here again. We also got a cabana which was nice for having better shade and not having to deal with finding a spot.

ProTips for Big Kahunas 1. Bring sealed water bottles (freeze them before you come so they stay colder for longer). No other drinks or food is allowed to be brought into the park. 2. Eat BEFORE you come. If you do get hungry, leave snacks in the car and take a quick break. 3. WEAR WATER SHOES. This is a big one. A lot of the area is cement or the composite plank boards which are scorching in the sun (middle of the day especially.) Please don't skip this. You may be "okay" but this will really contribute to a better time for everyone. 4. Remember towels and sunscreen. 5. Sunglasses are permitted with straps, but on the faster bigger slides, you still can't use them and have to leave them in the cubbies. We had a really fun time. I've read a lot of reviews that said it's gone downhill but without a comparison I couldn't tell you that it was bad. We were noticing a few slides weren't open, but still, there were plenty for us to use that were fun. Being a Floridian, I know the heat and sun wear things down so I guess I had that as a baseline expectation. Lifeguards did practice drills while we were there, so I was happy to see that they were on task. The ground is hot. They could use more shade throughout the park. The food is super expensive, so we didn't buy any. That said, we had a great time. Although a bit pricy, we would visit again. Hope my tips help the next guests!

We've been going to this water park for 10 years. It had declined over time - dilapidated attractions, dirty and outdated. My kids insisted on returning every year out of nostalgia. This was the year I was ready to call the last. To my surprise, they have totally redeemed themselves. They have clearly made an effort to update and fix the standards! The park was extremely clean, and all attractions were in working order. What a difference.

Great alternative for my children on a double red flag day! We all really enjoyed the Lazy River as a family

Fun water park....if you are not hungry or thirsty. It took an hour and 15 minutes to get a bottle of water at Paradise Eats. The only thing you can bring into the park is unopened water hottles. I highly recommend freezing a dozen bottles before you come to the park to avoid paying $8 for a bottle of water that you stand in line for for an hour or more.

Very overpriced, $65 for each person. Ended up paying $345 for my family of 5. I arrived at 10:15 AM and there was already a long ticket line. Don't even think about getting food or drinks there because the employees are incredibly slow, the line is incredibly long, and the price is incredibly steep. Only really able to go on a few slides due to its very confusing layout and 35-60 person lines. Every chair is "claimed" by somebody putting their belongings on them. The one time I sat down at an empty table with only a couple of shoes on the table I was forced to leave 10 mins later. Hope you don't get thirsty because a water bottle costs 8 dollars. And they're able to do that because there are not any water fountains and there is no re-entry. I fully believe the positive reviews are paid reviews. Awful experience, 0/10.

My daughter absolutely loves this water park. It is expensive which is the biggest downfall.

My family really enjoyed coming here this past weekend. The kids had a blast!!! At the time we went, it wasn't overly crowded, so it was a lot easier to get on the water slides back to back. It did take us a while to figure out the layout and also how to get on each ride, but overall it wasn't that bad. We are definitely planning on going back. I think my only complaint was that the food was expensive even for the most simple things. Lockers are $18 for the small ones and $20 for the bigger ones, so you might as well just get the bigger one if you need more space. The staff we encountered were super friendly and very helpful when needed.

First visit was in 2012. My husband and I had so much fun, we decided to get season passes. We spent so many weekends here. We live in Panama City Beach on the west end so the drive isn't very far. Our water park is small with few attractions. For 7 years we made many memories at Big Kahunas. When the cost of the season passes went up we decided to give our smaller park a try for the season. After Covid we never returned until today. It has gone downhill. It is apparent the management is not the same. The employees seem disgruntled, unhappy, and unhelpful. The grounds are not clean. The food prices are like Disney World. 25.00 for three chicken tenders, small fries and a Diet Coke. The same thing at Shipwreck island is 14.00 and you get 4 tenders. And two drinks. Also the honey mustard is awful. It's way better at shipwreck. The price to get in was 125.00 for two people. It's not worth that price when you have so many things closed, and even the ones that are open aren't fully functional. No waves in the wave pool. No waves in the wavy river. No waterfall in the lazy River. No fountain in the front to run and play in. They also had only one or two people making food. They only spoke if you asked them a direct question. At the end of the day no one even said bye: at shipwreck, I like the familiar faces who ALWAYS say goodbye. It's the same ones that say good morning when you arrive. It is way overpriced in the condition it is in. I won't be back.

BIG Kahuna's? Yeah, right. The attractions at this park seem to sit right on top of each other. Lazy river was not anything to write home about. Not a lot of places to sit in there, everyone is running into each other. A lot of the tubes were also severely deflated, making it hard to enjoy their rapids ride. Overpriced and underwhelming.

While we have frequented this water park several times, we had a terrible experience recently. I understand having more limited hours of operation as the season starts to come to a close, however, when we went, more than half of the slides were closed and one of the small kids areas (pirates cove). None of the back slides were open. This was extremely frustrating given the only attraction listed as closed online was Thunder River. Additionally, ticket prices remain unchanged even though you cannot experience half of the park. Would strongly recommend AGAINST going to this park on non peak days.

Rides were fun, lines moved quickly. Food is definitely overpriced, and the wave pool was not turned once throughout the day despite being advertised at still working. Upon asking lifeguard he replied that he didn't know. Someone else asked him if he knew how long the breaks were and he again replied idk.

3 rides were closed for "maintenance " we drove from texas and got tickets online. No mention of these closed rides on website only when you get there. I requested a cabana server after I got there but she decided she didn't want to take on another cabana. You cant bring food in and the prices are beyond ridiculously high. Hot Dog with ff. Burger with ff 2 nachos 1 cheese sticks 3 sodas over 90 dollars. One person taking orders I waited inline 45 minutes. Since I was here many years ago it has gone down. We paid 500.00 for tickets and cabana. Extremely overpriced for what I saw on this trip. Its gotten nasty and trashy. My second trip. First was great years ago this one no. Wont be back to this one

There's no food allowed in the park and no food in the park..... The water is disgusting and you aren't allowed to go down slides with your kids even if they are too small to go down alone. People are smoking weed all throughout the park, teenagers pushing little kids to cut them in line, and the slides are all rusted. There's so much rust on the walkways, I'm surprised we didn't get Tetanus. SAVE YOUR MONEY, GO TO SHIPWRECK IN PCB!!!

Overpriced, lack of parking. Lack of organization. At least the first aide team was on point. Props to Jayden the first aide guy. He's a keeper.

I think it would be nice if you let people bring their own food into the park. We waited an hour and a half for our food. It's all overpriced.

The park is very disorganized and there is no clear signs or any direction. There is no limit to the amount of tickets they sale, so around 1 pm every slide is at least a 30-60 min wait. The price of the food is crazy with a medium fountain coke running in at 8$. Totally not worth it in my opinion.

FUN PLACE FOR KIDS TO ADVENTURE AND HAVE A GREAT DAY!! CONS: Overpriced food Nasty bathrooms If big kahunas fixed those things I feel like it would be great. They need to spend money on renovating the bathrooms

Extremely expensive for a small waterpark. This waterpark needs a lot of attention!!! Steps are coming apart, kids are scraping their toes because the water areas are like sand paper. I watched a lifeguard in the kiddie area almost slip and fall (he was just walking). It is "slick" in some spots on the ground. Some slides are "out of order" & it's posted before you go into the park. I went and got 8 drinks and they had nothing to help me carry them back to where I was sitting with the kids (absolutely ridiculous). Parking lot is small and it was hard to find a parking spot. Chairs were breaking when people would sit in them because they are so old. There's not enough chairs / loungers or shade for the amount of people they allow in. I'm local and it's really sad watching this place deteriorate.

Prices are still increasing and there is little to no updates or renovations I'm very aware of inflation, but not to this extent

Dirty. Moldy. Yuck. My 11-year-old had fun, but she didn't notice all of the yuck. Avoid. This place needs serious renovation followed by regular upkeep.

I was skeptical of this place given some of the other reviews (particularly around the cleanliness of their lazy river). However, this place exceeded my expectations. It was huge with lots of rides for thrill seekers as well as the more timid riders. Many different pools for small kids to enjoy and the park, including the lazy river, was very clean. We had a birthday party there and service was excellent. My one criticism is that the food was overpriced. In particular, we bought "walking taco" for $10 and it was a total rip off. What you got was not what the picture reflected (the fine print noted that it could be round Tostitos with cheese or Doritos). Either way, what you got was pitiful for what you paid. Overall, worth the trip. Skip the nachos!

We visited the water park. It was so family friendly from the safety measures to the way the park was set up! Plenty for everyone in the fam to enjoy. Lifeguards were SO attentive. We also loved the affordable ticket price:)

After considering the most recent reviews, we still decided to give this place a try. Approximately 4 slides were closed and one kiddie area - but the kiddie area was opened up about halfway through our day. Overall, for $50pp on summer vacation we were still pleased. Everything is crazy over priced but that's to be expected for this kind of venue. No outside food/drinks - we still saw some people were able to sneak some in. Employees are mostly nice - the bartending trio seemed the most apathetic of anyone we encountered. They argued w a lady who had icee souvenir cups that the icee machine was broken but they wouldn't refill her cups with "coke". One finally explained the Coke was flat - but they still stood there and didn't offer the customer another kind of drink for her $15 plus $2 each refill cup that she had already purchased. The bartender also made my drink incorrectly - used sweet n sour vs pineapple juice. I let it go and took it bc it seemed pretty clear they just had no desire to do better. Be prepared to walk A LOT and some areas are VERY hot. But also be prepared that shirts, shoes, sunglasses are not allowed on some of the rides. I was surprised by this when they asked my son to take off his rash guard for a ride. We had a good time, all things considered.

This place is super fun for the kids and has a lot to do but is VERY unorganized. There are so many stairs! And now even just to get to the slides but to get anywhere in the park. Also, there's no designated tube drop off so you have to go hunting for tubes for the tube rides. Most of the staff seemed to be in a bad mood and were grumpy. This place could be so amazing if there was a little extra care and hard work put into it. Also, the restrooms are DISGUSTING! And the stalls don't close all the way.. very over priced and unorganized!

this park is so out dated and under staffed..the lazy river has very limited amount of floats some of the pools had rings around them the food is extremely over priced and not good at all...not to mention there is only one open food area where we waited an our for a half cooked pizza...the only reason i posted the pics we took on facebook is because i spent my money..im from panama city we have shipwreck island which is a ten compared to this place if i had to rate them i would give them a two thats just for being open..i will never go back and i met quite a few others that say they will never go back...overpriced, out dated, under staffed..im sure the company dont care if you come bavk or not they already made their money

We enjoyed our day with our 9 year old ! Two slides are really fun ! The rest are for smaller children ..I rode the small slides and a lot of them hurt my back when sliding wish they would fix that for the smaller kids going down but the larger slides are fine and extremely fun! We had almost zero lines to wait in but get ready for a ton of stairs to climb all day long ! The lazy river with the small drops was really fun but they need to fix the current so people don't get stuck .. we still had a blast ! If they fix the current it would really be even better !!! This was my favorite lazy river I've ever been on ! Make sure to wear swim shoes bc they make you take off sandals to slide on some . Great time !

Mini golf was cheaply put together with cockroach's running around. Not worth the money. Go down the street and play at the other mini golf

My husband and I came here for a putt putt date night! We were able to do all 3 courses at our leisure. We enjoyed the courses and our time! The downfall is that you have to pay 5$ to park.

Big Kahana.....BIG RIP OFF! The PRICE of what you get is outrageous! Half the park is not open. The staff is less than enthusiastic, and that's an understatement!! Entey into the park is at least $50 per person, and the locker rental starts at $11 and goes up to $20. The food is poor quality at best and horribly OVER PRICED!! Two bad cheese burgers, fries, and soft drinks $53.29!!! It sucked! A cup of Coke (no refills) is over $7.50!!! SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!!

We had a really good time there on Monday. It wasn't very crowded and only waited a few minutes per ride. There was no working water fountains anywhere that we could find in the park. The line for concessions was 30 + minutes since they are only serving in the main concession area. The other secondary concession areas are all closed due to staffing. We waited 35 minutes for food and drinks and were thrilled to finally get it. We tipped the two guys working the food line an extra $20 as they were doing their best in a tough situation. My suggestion is to get a concession line open for just drinks. It was very hot and people need fluids. Overall..... a great time for our family of 5.

I really had no expectations, as I don't frequent a lot of water parks. It was opening day and we decided to check it out. There's definitely a lot of different attractions for different age groups. I love that they have a lazy river. I was struggling so much at first because I didn't know how to properly get on to a floaty with my baby and this seasoned mom showed me her trick. While I was relaxing on a floaty with my baby, a life guard blew his whistle at me and said only 1 person per floaty. I said, if I let my baby go, he will sink and drown. He said he had to talk to his supervisor. He literally found us 40 minutes later and said we are good. I like the follow up!

Not a bad place to visit, gives off something else besides the beach to do while down in Destin. Neat water park, definitely would go again.

It's unfortunate this place has gone down hill. Three to four water attractions are closed on any given day which really limits what you can do. The season pass has nearly tripled in price which makes things worse. The food/drink lines are long and very slow moving. The lifeguards are on top of things, and they have nicer seating. They now serve alcoholic beverages which might appeal to some but also deter others. This used to be a fun spot to repeatedly visit during the summer but now it's a place to visit occasionally as an alternative to the beach.

Had been coming here for years, it's really gone downhill. Seems like staff is down 80% - only about 30% of the slides were open. The "food" areas were also understaffed and there were long lines. This could be a general labor shortage or related to foreign visa stuff, but it just felt like they could have been more upfront about being a big kiddie pool - or offered a refund/discount on tickets.

To start you have to pay for parking which should've been free . Then proceeding to the water park , at least 4 of the slides were closed while online it only said 1 slide was closed. The price ($60) stayed the same despite this mishap . Food was pricey and didn't taste good . Park was not crowded and lines moved fast to say it was Sunday . Lockers are $14 and very small.

I could have stayed all day except I was getting sunburned. they have 2 lazy rivers and many pools and water slides. plenty of rafts. several pools for small children with little water slides. can't wait to take my grandchildren. if you eat there, bring a credit card-very expensive. they will let you bring some bottled water. Military and first responders, officers get discount. They provide lockers for rent- small one is $18. bring Aqua Sox because the walkways get pretty hot.

Just an FYI: 8 dollars for a water, putt putt coarse is not well maintained and TONS of stairs. Didn't appear to have much help. (Typical for this time, I know)

There was a rainstorm when we planned to go here. I spoke to an employee in the morning who said the park was open, but they would suspend rides if there was lightning. Fair enough, so we waited until the afternoon, weather cleared up and we headed down. Pulled up and everything was closed, no employees to be seen, no one telling guests they were not open. I called several times before I got someone on the phone who said another storm was coming and they were closed for the remainder of the day. She seemed very irritated that I was even calling, and when I suggested they send an employee to let the crowd waiting outside know she responded with attitude and a "where outside?" Of course my response was "the entrance". No matter, what really gets me is that every weather report shows no rain, lightning or anything else. Clouds are clearing up as I write this and it sounds more like everyone took the opportunity to have a day off and couldn't care less about the impact on business or customers. Not impressed with guest care. The two stars are for the nice person I spoke to in the morning. Edit to add: Still waiting on that massive storm that's closing business' as the day draws to a close. ‍

As a local, the prices for a season pass jumped significantly these past few years. I used to be able to spend 80-100$ per person for the season pass but now it's like 150$. Ive read other reviews, and honestly I understand the stairs parts and the un-organization but it never really bothered me because I got the whole place (rides) memorized like the back of my hand. The bathrooms are also kind of nasty, i refuse to use them. Other than the overprice and cleanliness, I don't really have anything else to complain about.

I enjoyed the water park. Wasn't to busy, no waiting in long lines, and great for kids. Only downside to this place is they DO NOT allow any coolers, outside food, or drinks.

We went to play mini golf here. Upon entering the parking lot the sign said you had to pay for parking upon leaving which we weren't happy about but we drove in and parked anyway. Used the bathrooms right outside the entrance which were pretty gross. There were spiderwebs in the corners with spiders and other dead bugs. There was some sort of plastic on the floor that was a hazard as the pieces were loose. We paid for our round and began playing. Immediately you could see the place was run down and was not being maintained. Weeds everywhere, there was no place to put your paper down to write the score, the wood treads on the stairs and all the wood is rotting away. Some of the holes had loose bricks and we were able to recover the ball that popped out of the play area. Even though it's rotting away there were plenty of people there playing. We did enjoy ourselves but won't be going back. When we went to leave there weren't people collecting money on the way out. Maybe this is if you use the water park. If it's in the same condition as the mini golf I wouldn't risk going there.

Our family had the BEST time laughing, dancing and even cheering each other on putt putting thru this challenging, fun, multi-level course! Only reason it is not a five star was bc the putters were not cleaned after we finished. Highly recommended!