Water World Ocean Park delivers splashy fun for kids indoors and out

Hong Kong’s Water World Ocean Park opens five days a week in April. Sure sign it’s waterpark weather and a good time for Family Traveller to take a look around.

Big Wave Bay, Water World Ocean Park, Hong Kong

Safety first at Water World Ocean Park

Apart from being a sensational waterpark, Water World Ocean Park is incredibly well supervised and feels safe, even for toddlers. All facilities and attractions are inspected daily and Aquatic Crew members are fully trained, certified and undergo regular assessments. Good news, as you’ll find crew stationed throughout the waterpark primed to scan their assigned zones every 10 seconds, so they can respond to any situation within 20 seconds.

Complimentary lifejackets are also available for children or non-swimmers and all visitors must walk through a water curtain and footbath to protect the park water quality. Additionally a system is in place to monitor water quality at regular intervals throughout every day to make sure it meets international health and safety standards.

Surf Striker, Water World Ocean Park, Hong Kong

Water World Ocean Park indoor attractions

Outdoor rides and slides you expect, but Water World Ocean Park is all-weather and brings as much fun to the indoors as out. We particularly like this thoughtful idea to counter blazing sun,  winter temps and those without-warning storms that can ruin a day out in minutes.

Lazy Cruise is wide and slow moving, so it’s a perfect float and chill experience for younger kids – non swimmers need to wear lifejackets. Nobody misses the outdoors at Horizon Cove thanks to its fabulous glass ceiling bathing the wave pool in natural light. Surf Striker is Hong Kong’s first indoor surf simulator. And if older kids are in the mood for bigger thrills, we can recommend the three high-octane indoor body slides: Thunder Loop, Daredevil Drop and Bravery Cliffs.

Whiskers’ Splash, Water World Ocean Park

Little ones have their own safe space

Those ‘not tall enough’ or ‘not old enough’ moments fill every parent with dread, so it’s good to know that Water World Ocean Park has neatly dealt with them. Whiskers’ Splash makes like a complete mini-waterpark dedicated to delighting under sixes. It’s safe, on the fun side of splashy and not too boisterous for more tentative water babies.

Jets, sprays, bubblers, tunnels and curtains are all in play here. Plus several colourful and creative waterslides and even two nicely calm, toddler-friendly pools. Naturally there’s a giant tipping bucket too, because is a waterpark really a waterpark without one of those?

Rainbow Rush, Water World Ocean Park, Hong Kong

Easy attraction ‘Thrill Level’ checker

Being the fun parent and managing kids’ expectations can be easier said than done. Water World Ocean Park takes some of the potential pain away from a day out by letting you check thrill levels before you go. Great for building excitement in older kids and equally good when you need to find alternative attractions to the big white knucklers for your little ones.

Quite a few of the waterslides are right for all ages, like Big Wave Bay and Riptide. Rainbow Rush sounds just as wild as it is for tweens, teens and adults. And one or two of the real adrenaline hikes are best reserved for teenagers and bold parents: we’re talking Sky High Falls and the thrill valley body slides. However, as we said, it’s easy to check before you go.

Water World Ocean Park serves food for fun

When you need to refuel your surfers and splashers, there’s plenty of choice here, whether you want a quick snack or something more substantial.

Cavern’s Kitchen meets just about every taste with its international menu which now includes plant based meat dishes and low impact seafood. Home of food on the go, Fast Wave Snacks does amazing things with chicken and serves up the chilliest of frozen drinks to keep kids cool. Right next to the indoor Wave Pool, Horizon Grill is the place for Halal dishes and an excellent vegetarian menu. And when nothing but ice cream will do, hit the Splash Shop.

Lazy Cruise, waterpark lazy river

What makes a day out easier for families

When you book your tickets, book lockers at the same time. There’s a family changing area, and Family Changing Rooms are available with their own shower, dry space and toilet.

It’s a good idea to take a small, lightweight bag to carry essentials like goggles, sunscreen and towels from the changing area to the waterpark. The park’s Treasure Reef store also stocks everything from flip flops to swimwear, handy if you forget a basic: and we’ve all done that.

We also recommend taking oversize tee-shirts or rash-tops for kids to wear on the slides. Swim shoes are another good idea, because it doesn’t matter how many times you tell kids not to run around, they inevitably do.

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn commission when you click on them. This does not influence our editorial standards. We only recommend products and services we believe will enhance your family travel experience.