I rode the world's first water roller coaster - it rivals Disneyland and it's only a few hours from the UK

'Can we just go one more time?' pleads my son as we race back round to the front of the queue (making full use of our fast passes).

I sat in the front first time and my shorts got soaked.

This time I'd managed to get slightly less wet in the third row and so – in the name of research – I agree to another turn to see if the back row is the place to be if you want to remain dry.

We're trialling Mission Bermudes, the newest attraction at Futuroscope, the science-meets-thrills theme park in western France.

The ride – which comes with splashes and surprises – officially launched last month.

It's one of Europe's most ambitious theme park rides to date, combining the soaking chaos of a white-water rapids ride with the G-force drama of a rollercoaster, all set within a spectacular physical environment that includes mist-shrouded jungle, secret bunkers and a swirling vortex that threatens to suck the ride in.

Boarding the specially designed 10-person 'Rocking Boats', we're told we're on a rescue mission to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a scientific team studying strange phenomena in the infamous Triangle.

What follows is 10 minutes of nonstop twists, reversals, near-misses and a finale that involves a vertical 16-metre plunge.

It's bold, baffling (particularly if you don't understand French) and completely bonkers – in the best possible way.

We start in a foggy swamp, dodging half-submerged aircraft wreckage and passing long-lost boats before we hurtle into rapids – where miraculously this time I remain dry – have a near-miss at a blow hole and then we get sucked backwards into a concrete bunker.

From there, we're lifted into the sky and spat out onto a rail that plunges into a splash pool at speeds of more than 60km/h.

What makes this attraction stand out is the technology.

When on water you feel as though you're on a boat, but the ride is actually on hidden rails and the electromagnetic motors allow the 'rocking boats' to climb slopes, pivot unexpectedly and even travel backwards.

While other attractions in the park use screens and 3D glasses, this is like being on the set of your own action movie complete with Hollywood-worthy special effects: bubbling geysers, falling trees and even a giant water bubble that bursts metres from your boat.

The immersion is physical (quite literally if you position yourself in the front seat).

If Futuroscope isn't yet on your radar, it should be.

Located near Poitiers in the Vienne region of western France, it's one of France's largest theme parks, attracting more than two million visitors a year.

Opened in 1987, it predates both Disneyland and Parc Asterix and it's always been the clever cousin of the amusement park world – more science and space than superheroes and cartoons.

Among the other rides we found motion simulators, interactive theatres, and cutting-edge projection formats focusing on space, climate, exploration and invention (we particularly enjoyed the 4D tornado chaser ride that took us into the centre of a twister).

Mission Bermudes is the headline act in a €300 million revamp that's transformed the place into a full resort, with two new hotels and a brilliant new indoor/outdoor waterpark called Aquascope – the place to head if you really want to get wet.

As we exit the ride for the third time, my son runs ahead repeating his cry of 'just one more time!'

This is the sign of a good ride - perhaps the most exciting you'll find in Europe this summer.