Hong Kong renowned amusement and theme park Ocean Park is finally opening up its much-anticipated Water World on September 21. Originally set to open way back in 2017, Ocean Park’s Water World spans over more than 55,740 square meters and features 27 brand-new water rides in five different zones. This is sure to be fun for all families in Hong Kong.
Ocean’s Park Water World opening soon
Touted as “Asia’s first and only year-round, all-weather seaside water park,” Water World is expected to include nine waterslides, ranging from rainbow-colored slides suitable for all ages to sky-high thrilling and terrifying drop slides catered more toward teenagers and adults.
Ocean Park Hong Kong, renowned for holding the largest Halloween events in Asia, is the second largest amusement park in Hong Kong after Disneyland. The park opened 44 years ago on January 10, 1977, and its journey has been quite a roller-coaster ride – excuse the pun.
22 years after launching, the park struggled to remain profitable after Hong Kong Disneyland opened up to the public. But they responded with a HK$5.5 billion (US$706 million) development plan which saw the park introduce over 80 different rides, helping it become profitable again.
Reaching a peak number of 7.7 million visitors in 2014-2015, the amusement park has been running in debt ever since. The recent Hong Kong protests and coronavirus outbreak has only made Ocean Park’s financial situation worse.
The COVID-19 outbreak forced Ocean Park to shut down operations for a major portion of 2020. That year, they were close to bankruptcy as revenues dropped by 58.7% to HK$717 million (US$92 million) – the biggest year-on-year drop on record.
However, the park saw a new spark of hope as the government provided financial assistance, lending them a HK$5.4 billion (US$693 million) government bailout, and the park was able to reopen earlier this year in February. Water World is part of the government’s plan to revamp the entire theme park to attract more visitors. The revamp has been rumored to cost a whopping HK$6.8 billion (US$873 million).
What to expect at the new Water World
Ocean Park already has begun ticket sales to their upcoming opening of Water World. Families looking to visit the grand opening of the water park can purchase tickets for HK$320 (US$41) per adult, HK$225 (US$29) per child and HK$150 (US$19) for elderly or disabled citizens. However, these prices will be subject to seasonal adjustments, so grab your tickets while you can!
To cater to the COVID-19 situation, the park will operate at half capacity during their grand opening, allowing a maximum of 4,500 visitors when it launches. Although it is not necessary to be vaccinated to enter Ocean Park, visitors are encouraged to get vaccinated to make the park a safe and enjoyable environment. Those partaking in rides and attractions will not be required to wear masks. However, those not participating in any ride will be required to wear a mask at all times.
Water World will feature five different zones for visitors to explore: Splendid Reef, Torrential River, Adventure Coast, Thrill Valley and Hidden Village. These zones will each feature a mix of indoor and outdoor rides suitable for everyone in the family. Some notable rides set to launch include Hong Kong’s first Surf Simulator, lazy rivers and indoor and outdoor wave pools.
If you’re worried about carrying your belongings, keyless lockers will be available to rent so you can enjoy your experience with your hands free. You can store personal items starting from HK$20 (US$3) for a mini storage locker to up to HK$280 (US$36) for a jumbo storage locker. These lockers will be available for a full day’s use on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Book your tickets to Ocean Park’s Water World now to make sure you beat the crowds!
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