Long Beach

Long Beach's Floating Playground Opens Saturday

It's been sitting outside on the water, tantalizingly close to the Alamitos Beach shoreline, for more than a week, according to residents.

NBC Universal, Inc.

If you're a fourth grader, nothing could be harder than seeing an inflatable floating playground about 30 feet from the shore -- especially during a heat wave.

It's been sitting outside on the water, tantalizingly close to the Alamitos Beach shoreline, for more than a week, according to residents.

"I don't like it," young playground fan Jacob Rosson said, when asked how it was looking at a playground he couldn't play on.

For Rosson, it's the springboard feature that draws his eye.

"If someone's on it and you jump on it, the other person just goes flying," he said.

His sister lives right up the street, and noticed the distinctive yellow and green floaters during a walk along the shore.

"I said, 'Whoa! What's that...??'" Raquel Deniz told NBC4.

She told her family and generated some instant excitement.

"I told them I saw it last week and they wanted to come check it out," she said.

But, unfortunately, the grand opening didn't take place until Saturday afternoon, with the City of Long Beach planning a celebration of the $400,000 inflatable project for all to enjoy.

The play structure is "free and open to the public," the city says.

The figure-eight layout with a bouncer, monkey bars, a slide and more caught 3-year-old Camilla's eye.

"I think it's pretty tough because she sees, you know, bright colors," said mom Rosario Pedragon, a Long Beach resident.

But she said Friday that everyone in her family will just have to wait. She knows, because her 17-year-old son tried to give it a go Friday morning.

"Swam out there and the lifeguard told him, 'Come out,'" she said.

Parents of the youngest kids said they're a little wary of the structure -- will lifeguards be keeping an eye on it? How deep is the water out there, and how quickly can they respond if someone slips off the side and disappear?

The City of Long Beach has not yet answered those questions, but as of Saturday, the structure is open to the public.

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