The World's Best Waterpark?
Atlantis Sanya Rises in China’s South
Walk into Aquaventure, Atlantis Sanya’s new 200,000-square-meter water park on China’s Hainan Island, and your eyes are immediately drawn to the centerline of Neptune Tower, a rising pyramid that evokes the spirit of the mythic sunken city. Bisecting this six-tiered winged building is a 25-meter-high, copper-toned vertical slide called the “Leap of Faith” that plunges riders through a tank of blacktip and zebra sharks.
There’s nothing like it in China. Launched at the end of May, one month after Atlantis Sanya’s official opening, Aquaventure is part of a RMB 11 billion development built near the southernmost tip of the country. It has close to 40 attractions, including a 2-kilometer-long river and several unique hybrid slides.
“This is the best water park on the planet,” exclaims Alan Mahony.
You could be excused for thinking that Mahony is biased. After all, he’s an Atlantis Sanya vice president and took the helm of Aquaventure in January. However, few people in the industry have an Asia-Pacific pedigree more extensive than the 50-something Australian.
This article was originally published as a cover story in the October 2018 edition of Funworld Magazine.
Alan Mahony and I talk about the Leap of Faith!
