Absolutely a supervised child can go. They have all the safety gear and are all certified. Everybody wears a life vest. The water will be OK in June but not like august or September and rain suites are provided to block wind. If you have one that fits him or her good you should take it. Its a big, wet, roller coaster with professional guides. If they sit near the back its less dramatic. The guides won't lie to you. Ask them directly.

Check the tide schedule for the dates you're considering. The more extreme the tide the more exciting the ride is. Regardless, an 8 year old should be just fine. We had people from 10 to 70 on our raft. I'm not sure when the season starts, but if you email the company directly they should get back to you. Enjoy!

I think you might find it cool in June as you get very wet. But in terms of age, I thin k if your child is comfortable near the water and likes a bit of adventure, it's perfectly fine. My son was 9 and he loved it! Everyone wears a life jacket and it felt very safe. No one fell out of the boat.

My teens and I did the "extreme" waves and it was very rough, especially riding at the front of the boat - (but we were allowed to switch positions in the boat between clusters of waves, and those who wanted a wilder ride sat at the front, somewhat tamer ride in the back of the boat). Website recommends ages 6 and up for medium or high waves and ages 10 and up for extreme waves. I'd agree; it would still be thrilling with slightly smaller waves. Check website for season opening and schedules, but 2017 season started weekends in May and daily in June. The mud sliding was a huge hit with our group.

I would suggest that an 8 year old would need to be fairly strong and hearty in order for both the child and parent to enjoy the experience. One needs to be able to hold on quite tightly for the roughest bits.