12 abandoned water parks around the world and the stories behind them

It was built for his family and named after his wife.

Rides and other attractions were added over the years. By the early 1970s, the site had become a popular water park for the general public. However, attendance tapered off by the late 1980s, and the park closed.

The retro-inspired Renaissance was unfortunately short-lived — an after-hours accident that allegedly left an employee a paraplegic was just one factor in Rock-A-Hoola's downfall. The park had its last hurrah between 2002 and 2004 under the name Discovery Waterpark.

A 2012 skate film called "Kilian Martin: Altered Route" was shot there, and, in 2015, it was the setting for a Mini Cooper car commercial.

In fact, backpackers making their way through Vietnam have popularized it as a tourist destination in its own right.

It closed only a few years later.

However, the creepy abandoned water park has become a destination for backpackers and adventurous types eager to explore the now-closed water park.

When Ebenezer Floppen Slopper's Wonderful Water Slides opened in the early 1980s, the park provided a thrilling alternative to front-lawn sprinklers for kids in the Chicago suburb of Oakbrook Terrace.

Today, the water park is totally abandoned and decrepit.

Along with Discovery Island, it was one of two Disney parks to close permanently.

After multiple deaths and the tourism effects of 9/11, the water park has become overrun with weeds and moss in the years since its closure.

Those who remember the park in its heyday can at least console themselves with the fact that the property might house a Disney resort in the near future.

Located in Spain's Catalonia region, L'Aquatic Paradis opened in the early 1990s.

According to reports, a child was pulled underwater by the engine of a wave machine. That event and large sums of debt forced the water park to close its doors.

After shutting down, the decaying park became a counter-culture hub. While graffiti artists left their colorful mark on slides and buildings, skaters practiced tricks in the empty pools.

Atlantis Marine Park was envisioned as Western Australia's alternative to the Gold Coast, a region of Australia famous for its beaches.

Atlantis' old statues remain as symbols of its early promise. The most iconic effigy, a likeness of King Neptune, was restored in 2015 thanks to an online petition.

Macassar Beach Pavilion is located within a 2,760-acre conservation area dedicated to safeguarding the area's sand dunes and endemic fynbos (a type of vegetation).

South-Easter winds and shifting dunes have caused sand to encroach upon the park's fading blue and green structures. The result is an otherworldly landscape that intrigues photographers and sightseers alike.

When it opened in 1980, Water Wonderland was a bustling summer destination for families in the Odessa area.

Financial woes — the park filed for bankruptcy in the '90s — and a subsequent lawsuit that said a child was injured on a ride, Water Wonderland closed its doors.

In 2018, the park was sold and plans were made for the site to reopen as a new water park. However, the park still remains under construction today.

Safari Lagoon, which is located on the rooftop of a shopping center, was billed as one of southeast Asia's largest theme parks when it opened in 1998.

In addition to authorities learning that Safari Lagoon had been operating without a license for eight years, an employee was reportedly killed after being trapped in a high-pressure water pump compartment.

However, like so many parks, it had to shut its doors after reportedly going bankrupt in 2006. The bright-colored attractions, grimy with age, make the abandoned locale seem even bleaker.

However, the plan was never actualized.

Since it closed, this abandoned Ontario water park — part of the Prudhommes Landing recreation and entertainment complex — has become a canvas for graffiti artists.

In its heyday, the park had water slides, a tube rapid ride, and a lazy river, according to a Canadian blogger who recalls visiting it.

Thanks to its water slides, swimming pools, and whirlpools, Aquaria Park was all the rage in Ravenna.

However, the park closed in 2004.

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