Having watery fun at Splash Works in Canada's Wonderland is a way to keep cool this summer. (Courtesy Canada's Wonderland)

Cooling off during this sizzling hot summer is simple -- just add water.

Take the plunge at a water park while making a splash on the twisting tube slides and wave pools.

The options are numerous including Splash Works at Canada's Wonderland; Bingemans in Kitchener; Bluewater Fun Park in Sarnia; Fallsview Indoor Water Park, Great Wolf Lodge and Waves, all in Niagara Falls; Plunge! At Blue Mountain, Collingwood; Splash Canyon, Barrie; and Toronto's Soak City.

New is Calypso Park at Limoges, near Ottawa, billed as Canada's largest water park.

Here are some highlights of places to get soaked include:

-- Splash Works at Canada's Wonderland, in Vaughan, serves up nine-million litres of fun in its huge 8.1-hectare water park.

Slide by Whitewater Bay, billed as Canada's largest wave pool, cruise along the Lazy River and check out the Black Hole. On the Barracuda Blaster, sliders zip down a high-speed pipe flume, twist around the vertical banks of a giant whirling bowl of water and are flushed into the Lazy River. The river offers a relaxing journey gently floating downstream on rafts.

On Riptide Racer, rival sliders compete as they take the liquid fast-track down an eight-lane splash-way.

Rafters are plunged into darkness on Super Soaker, twirling down a tunnel that converts into an open-air flume slide under a curtain of cooling water.

The Black hole is a four-storey speed slide that takes sliders into an abyss of blackness, where they twist, turn and splash in darkness.

Then, take the Plunge as rafters experience free-fall drops in a three-seat raft. They sail down a triple-drop straight slide, reaching gravity-pulling speeds.

The Pump House is a wacky aquatic playground with activities including waterfalls, rotating water jets and a giant bucket that spills thousands of litres of water on unsuspecting guests.

The Whirl Winds are two intertwining tube slides, where riders can choose which route is the fastest. Over at Splash Island Waterways is an interactive tube slide for kids and grown-ups to enjoy together.

Catch the fun daily through Sept. 6 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (season pass holders get in an hour earlier). See canadaswonderland.com.

-- Bingemans Big Splash water park in Kitchener has a wave pool, twister and speed slides. There's also the Cyclone, where riders hurtle down an enclosed AquaTube and then "explode" into the open air bowl that spins them around and drops them into a splashdown pool below.

Torpedo Bay pits three riders in a slippery, watery race of curves and spirals to the finish line as each bombs through a separate tube slide.

The Pipe is two enclosed twisting slides that combine speed and thrills.

Over at Spray 'n' Play, the interactive water playground has geyser jets, children's slides, a net walk, water umbrella and 5,400-litre tipping bucket.

As well, there's a children's wading pool and hot tub at the park, which also has a camping resort. See bingemans.com.

-- Bluewater Fun Park in Sarnia has winding water slides, speed slides, the Leisure Lagoon Pool and bumper boats with water cannons. See bluewaterfunpark.com.

-- In the Ottawa area, Calypso Park is the largest water park in Canada with one of North America's biggest wave pools. It has 35 waterslides, including 24.4-metre long extreme slides, and a jungle river ride. See calypsopark.ca.

-- Niagara Falls has the Fallsview Indoor Water Park with 16 waterslides, a massive indoor wave pool, activity pool and Beach House Aqua Play area. There's also the Great Wolf Lodge's water park with all-inclusive accommodation packages, and Waves Indoor Water Park with a retractable roof at Americana Conference Resort and Spa. See fallsviewwaterpark.com, greatwolf.com and americananiagara.com.

-- Plunge! At Blue Mountain has a four-season indoor water playground, rope swings and slides. See bluemountain.ca/plunge_aqua_centre.htm.

-- Soak City at Ontario Place in Toronto offers "a full-day soaking, screaming, twisting, tubing, rushing and riding." See ontarioplace.com.

-- Splash Canyon Water Park and Resort in Barrie has tidal wave pools, water slides and adventure playgrounds where parents can relax poolside. See splashcanyonresort.com.

-- Wave Pool in Richmond Hill is an indoor water park with huge water slide and a warm water swirl tub and on-deck sauna. See wave.sites.toronto.com.

-- Wild Water Kingdom in Brampton is "Canada's only salt water park," with bumper boats and rock climbing under a waterfall. See wildwaterkingdom.com.

-- Wild Waterworks (on Lake Ontario in Hamilton's Confederation Park) has the Kamikaze, six-storey-high body slides, and offers surfing in a huge outdoor wave pool.

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