Waterparks.
You would commonly associate these with the sound of children screaming for joy, with
people left and right being flung into water.
But what about utter silence?
Today, we will be going over the most popular abandoned waterparks out there.
Whether these sites suffered from lack of customers or something much more sinister,
many waterparks from all over the world have become devoid of life.
Safari Lagoon Waterpark in Pandan, Selangor, Malaysia
Safari Lagoon Waterpark is definitely one of the more outlandish attractions on this
list.
In fact, this waterpark is actually built on the roof of a shopping center in Pandan,
Selangor, Malaysia.
This was actually the first rooftop water theme park in Klang Valley.
Safari Lagoon was known as one of Southeast Asia's largest theme parks when it first opened
its doors in 1998.
To this day, it’s like a tourist attraction as you can see an infamous giraffe statue
on top of the Pandan Safari Parade building.
It’s impossible to miss!
I mean, with a funky location like that and tons of slides to boot, what could possibly
go wrong?
Well, what ultimately burned this bridge down was the fact that Safari Lagoon had actually
been operating without a license.
Authorities uncovered this and quickly took action to shut this waterpark down.
Not only is not having a proper license super bad business practice, but it can be extremely
dangerous if an accident would happen.
And that’s exactly what happened.
An employee was reportedly killed after being trapped in a high-pressure water pump compartment,
after trying to retrieve some visitor belongings, and was unable to get out.
It’s safe to say that Safari Lagoon never recovered from this alleged incident.
Even though the waterpark was ordered to close in 2005, it still managed to stay open for
another two years before eventually closing in 2007.
Now, even the actual shopping complex that Safari Lagoon is built on top of has been
abandoned.
The complex itself actually has been a part of some controversies, but that’s its own
story for another day.
Atlantis Mexico City Mexico
Atlantis was just one of the many sections of the famous Chapultepec Park in Mexico City.
And in the 80s, it was one of the most beloved, but today, it lies abandoned and surrounded
by many controversies.
The history of this water park dates back to 1968 when the government created the first
dolphinarium in the city.
The initial park didn’t last long because of bad administrative management and it closed
at the end of the decade.
Then, in 1981 a private enterprise recovered the park and turned it into a small aquatic
city, with dolphins and aquariums with more than 17 marine species.
Also, in 1979, a water park opened in this area called Aguas Salvajes.
These two parks were very popular during the 80s and the 90s but in the beginning of the
2000s, the parks began to slowly rot and decrepitate.
Aguas Salvajes had to rebrand twice, it changed its name to La Ola and then to El Rollo, but
it ultimately closed in 2007.And it was left completely abandoned.
For a while, the government tried to bring it back to life and turn it into an “urban
beach” but the people that lived near the area opposed this so in the end nothing came
of it.
But the real tragic story was the one in Atlantis.
After the park stopped working normally, they began offering other types of services like
dolphin therapy sessions.
In 2012, the park announced a remodeling and closed its doors.
But this refurbishment never came.
And the park remained abandoned, with its animals still inside, having only one employee
in charge of feeding them.
Many images were leaked showing the animals in terrible conditions; swimming in green
waters and some of them were even sick and hurt.
The rest of the park was also falling apart and in ruins, rusting and full of abandoned
buildings.
In 2014, after several complaints, the government carried out an operation in which they rescued
the animals inside, and rehomed them to different water parks in the country.
The park is now still abandoned, a sad and terrifying shadow of what it used to be.
Water Wonderland in Midland-Odessa, Texas
Next up, we have Water Wonderland.
Yes, you heard that right, but it is no longer a Wonderland by any means.
Water Wonderland was a waterpark in Midland-Odessa, Texas.
It was a very popular attraction in the 1980s, which honestly just feels like a lifetime
ago now that we think about it.
With everyone out and about, families from all over the world would visit the waterpark
during the summer.
?When it opened in 1980?, Water Wonderland was a bustling summer destination for families
in the Odessa area.
Things really took a turn for the worse once debts started rolling in.
In fact, Water Wonderland had to officially file for bankruptcy in the '90s and as if
that wasn’t bad enough, a child got injured on a ride and a lawsuit was promptly filed.
This proved to be the final straw and Water Wonderland had to close its doors...
For over 11 years, the waterpark would sit vacantly and soon be forgotten.
It became a wasteland vandalized by graffiti...
Almost apocalyptic-like.
However, there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel!
In 2018, the park had been sold and there were actually plans in action to renovate
the site.
The new owner had a lot of new plans and ideas for the park.
In fact, the new owner stated that he hoped this could happen by the end of 2020.
Construction had already started, but...
There have been no other updates ever since.
Could a new waterpark rise from the ashes, or will it forever stay in the shadows of
Water Wonderland?
Macassar Beach Pavilion in Cape Town, South Africa
First up, we’ve got the Macassar Beach Pavilion in Cape Town, South Africa.
What used to be, is now a shell of its former self.
In fact, most Capetonians haven’t even heard about this place!
Macassar Beach Pavilion was a waterpark built in 1991 on South Africa's False Bay coast.
The site is located within the Macassar Dunes Nature Reserve Area, which is a 2,760-acre
conservation area, dedicated to safeguarding the area's sand dunes and flora.
But let’s go back to the very beginning.
Macassar Beach was named after Sheikh Yusuf from the Sultanate of Gowa, which is now known
as Makassar in Indonesia.
He is the one who had first established the Islamic faith in Cape Town.
But this is all a story for another day!
The main reason for the park’s abandonment was due to financial issues.
I mean, with tons of people comes tons of trash.
This meant that maintenance had to be very high, as a lot of budgeting had to be done
for employees and proper equipment.
The Pavilion used to be a popular resort and business was booming.
With Macassar having a population of roughly 33 thousand at the time, there were hundreds
of families visiting the waterpark at the time.
Now you could say that the abandoned waterpark looks like a movie set.
Due to South-Eastern winds and shifting dune, mountains of sand have encroached what was
once a place of life, covering the green and blue structures of what remains of Instead
of being filled with vibrant slide attractions and laughter, we now are met with what is
an otherworldly landscape that intrigues both photographers and sightseers alike.
South-Easter winds and shifting dunes have caused sand to encroach upon the park's fading
blue and green structures.
Photographers and sightseers alike both still seem to visit this place.
Aquaria Park in Pinarella di Cervia, Ravenna, Italy
Aquaria Park in Italy was a popular destination in the '90s and was the ‘next big thing’
in Ravenna.
What can I say?
This waterpark had it all.
From water slides and swimming pools to crazy whirlpools, it seemed like that there was
a bright future ahead for Aquaria Park.
It even had space for sports like tennis and basketball.
It was really the perfect place for both water and land sports lovers to gather.
And not only that, but the waterpark even had a disco, where people could party and
relax next to a beautiful sandy beach...
I know that this sounds like it’s too good to be true.
And you’re absolutely right.
Otherwise, Aquaria Park wouldn’t be on this list, after all!
Aquaria Park closed in 2004 after only being open for twelve years.
There’s not much information that can be found on the internet as to why this happened
but we know that the park went bankrupt.
The property wanted to convert the park into a tourist complex and building apartments,
they asked for the permits and closed the park thinking about the new project.
But nothing came of it and its current state, the once glorious waterpark now resembles
a horror film set.
Fun Park Fyn in Aarup, Funen, Denmark
Fun Park Fynn brought life to Aarup, Funen, Denmark, when it opened in the 1980s.
With vibrant attractions like carousels, people absolutely loved going to this park.
The biggest appeal was that prices were affordable, making it the perfect destination for families.
There seems to be an ongoing trend with these waterparks, and that is that Fun Park Fyn
actually went bankrupt and had to close down in 2006.
Like Water Wonderland, Fun Park Fyn was actually bought by other investors, and this happened
around 2008.
There were rumors that the waterpark was going to be rebranded as “Hans Christian Andersen
Park”, but this possibility seemed to fizzle away as Fun Park Fyn remains desolate.
What probably was the most notable attraction of Fun Park Fyn is the swan boat, which is
still on the site with the rest of the abandoned attractions to this day.
It seems like that Fun Park Fyn is just a distant memory.
There isn’t much news coverage on what exactly happened, and perhaps there was something
more dark going on behind the scenes?
We’ll never know.
And if you enjoy learning about abandoned theme parks and animatronics, here’s the
official Abandoned List.
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See you next week!