Six Flags Hurricane Harbor reopened its doors on Saturday in Concord.
The water park closed as part of its regular season in October 2019 and it was not allowed to reopen because of the coronavirus last year.
The opening day was a big deal for employees and the visitors who missed being able to have fun in the water.
For the visitors who turned out for opening day, there are a few differences from the Six Flags Hurricane Harbor experience they know.
The most obvious was how sparse the crowds are and that's because there are capacity limits.
Contra Costa County is still in the orange tier, so the water park is allowed to open at 25% capacity and they were fully booked the whole day.
The other difference in rules is masks. But since this is a water park, guests are allowed to keep them off while on the rides and while they're eating.
Local
For some guests, being back at an amusement park and not having to wear masks everywhere is still an adjustment.
"If feels okay, but it's kind of weird without it. But it's like, fun,” said Redwood City resident Gracie Ruiz.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Six Flags Spokesman Marc Merino is also thrilled with the park reopening.
"To me, today really signals a return to some normalcy for a lot of people, not just for our guests, but for our employees as well,” he said.
A few other amusement parks have already opened in the Bay Area since the pandemic. All of them also have capacity restrictions.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor claims to be the first water amusement park to open since the pandemic in Northern California.
Capacity limits will be in place as long as contra costa county is in the orange tier - they may be adjusted if it makes it into yellow.
But according to the California Governor's office, most limits will be lifted June 15, when the state plans to end its mask mandate.
