There are a lot of toys that claim to be “the ultimate pool game-changer,” but most of them are just glorified beach balls that give up on life after a few sunburned afternoons. The Watermelon Ball, however, is a different beast. It’s a green-striped, semi-submerged cannonball disguised as a refreshing summer fruit. You fill it with water using the included hose adapter (because it’s too sophisticated for good old-fashioned air), and voilà—you have a ball that sinks, rises, bounces, and occasionally attempts to take out an unsuspecting cousin during a game of underwater keep-away.
I’ll admit, I had my doubts. I’ve been burned before—well, not literally, but emotionally—by “indestructible” pool toys that split faster than a cheap beach umbrella in a wind gust. But this thing? The PVC feels strong enough to survive at least three summers of questionable handling by sugar-fueled children. And once it’s full of water (and yes, at about 14.5 pounds it’s not exactly feather-light), it’s oddly satisfying to pass around underwater. You can dribble it like a basketball, toss it like a medicine ball, or watch it rise to the surface in slow motion like it’s auditioning for a dramatic action-movie scene.
It’s not perfect. If you’re expecting to play catch with it above water casually, you’ll quickly learn the meaning of “heavy catch regret.” And if you’ve got smaller kids, you might be the one doing most of the tossing. But for pool parties, beach trips, or backyard cookouts where people want to do something other than float aimlessly on inflatable pizza slices, it’s a winner.
If you want to give your summer gatherings a shot of competitive chaos, you can find the Watermelon Ball here. I can’t promise it’ll make you the MVP of pool games, but I can promise you’ll at least have more fun than the guy stuck on the grill flipping burgers all afternoon.