Wet World Wild Adventure Park

Wet World Wild Adventure Park, Penang (5 January 2014)


Wet World Wild Adventure Park is a now closed an adventure theme park in Batu Ferringhi, Penang that is presently closed¹. It occupies a portion of Moonlight Bay in Batu Ferringhi. The park had its official opening on 25 December, 2013. It was the brainchild of Theme Park Concepts & Services Sdn Bhd, with input from Penang Global Tourism Board.

Wet World Wild offered a number of obstacle courses in the form of inflatable floating features in the water for participants to negotiate. These features are similar to those found at on-land adventure parks such as the rock climber, running tracks, trampoline and so on, except that here, the features are in the water.

Wet World Wild's UFOs - unidentified floating objects (5 January 2014)


Wet World Wild was open daily from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. Tickets were priced at RM40 for adults and RM30 for children aged 11 and below. All visitors to the park had to be at least 110 centimeters in height to be permitted entry. I personally felt the admission fee was a bit steep. Then again, that's the Penang Lang in me talking. On the other hand, I also have to recognize the funds that have been pumped in to establish the park, and the pricing of similar parks in Penang and elsewhere. I just hope the pricing is in alignment with how much the general public can afford to pay.

I paid a visit to Wet World Wild on 5 January, 2014. There was a signboard showing the entrance to the parking area, which I realised used to be some form of housing that has since been demolished. (I can't remember, but this is probably the temporary housing for those affecting by the tsunami ten years ago.) As the parking area was not properly tarred, it looked like a desolate wasteland. In my opinion, this is not the most welcome sight for visitors upon arrival. I hope the management of the park will take steps to tidy up the parking area, as I am also concerned whether the protruding concrete and other sharp edges may pose a hazard to tyres, not to mention feet.

Wet World Wild Adventure Park (5 January 2014)


While Wet World World occupies a section of the bay, the rest of the area is still open to public access. It is therefore untrue what I read that Wet World Wild has blocked public access to Moonlight Bay. People who love to spit out criticisms should first ensure what they say matches what they see - if they ever take the trouble to see at all. As I can see, much of the bay is still open to public access to do whatever they well please.

At the time I visited, around half past two on a Sunday afternoon, there were hardly any visitors to the park. I only saw a family playing with the waterborne features assisted by the attendants. I suppose I have arrived at the hottest part of the day, hence the lack of visitors. I hope, for the park's survival, there would be more visitors when the day is cooler. I do feel a bit sorry for the people who have to work here under the hot sun day in day out, but then again, it's their choice to take on the job, and I hope they do enjoy it.

On Wet World Wild's Wanted List: Some Visitors (5 January 2014)


There are a few families picnicking on the shore, a couple of anglers perched on the sheltered rocks, but other than that, nobody else is at Moonlight Bay, whether within or outside the Wet World Wild park area. Moonlight Bay used to suffer from littering caused by uncivic-minded picnickers. I hope that the management of Wet World Wild will ensure that all trash on the beach is regularly collect, and their presence results in better maintenance and upkeep of the bay. In the same way, I also hope that, for its own survival, the waterborne theme park will champion for improved water quality of the sea around Penang Island, so their presence may bring indirect benefits to Penang.

Wet World Wild Adventure Park may have erected many obstacles for its visitors to enjoy, but the one obstacle that the park itself has to surmount is in attracting visitors. A major stumbling block, for now, is the steep pricing. Penang Lang simply have to realise that the Penang of today is a different one from that of yesterday, and be willing to give the park a chance. If they are prepared to fork out the same amount in Singapore, Australia and elsewhere, they should do the same in Penang. At the moment, the park doesn't appear very "happening".

On the other hand, Wet World Wild itself should put in more effort to beef up its marketing. As at time of writing (6 January 2014), I do not see an official website or a Facebook Page providing people with details of the park. So, as far as Internet users are concerned, the park is in a metaphorical black hole. Does the park expect visitors to appear simply because it is there? Enhancing its own online presence and exposure will certainly bring more visitors to Wet World Wild. I do not want to see this park fail - tourist product brings benefits, directly by creating jobs, and indirectly by supporting subsidiary and auxiliary services.

Rock Climber, Wet World Wild Adventure Park: while the park offers visitors something to surmount, it too has something to surmount (5 January 2014)

Updates

4 November, 2014
Penang Gerakan chairman Teng Chang Yeow said that the party had produced two online news reports - Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's speech at the opening of Wet World Wild (WWW) on 25 December 2013 and a video of Lim at a press conference showing that the state and Penang Global Tourism (PGT) supported Theme Park Concepts and Services Sdn Bhd (TPCS) which set up the open-sea water theme park.

"I have proven it through the reports and the video recording," said Teng, as reported in The Star. "We were merely asking about the extent of the collaboration between PGT and TPCS in the project. We did not ask about the losses incurred. We only asked for financial exposure such as allocation spent or given. Instead of providing the answer, the state government and PGT kept repeating that they suffered no losses."

29 October, 2014
The Star reports that Penang Gerakan is urging the Penang Chief Minister not to hide behind Penang Global Tourism (PGT) but to reveal the extend of the state's involvement in the failed Wet World Wild (WWW) open sea waterpark. The State Gerakan chairman Teng Chang Yeow claimed that the chief minister had, in his speech at the opening of WWW on 25 December last year, proudly pronounced that "perhaps the most important element of this opening is the months of hard work put in by Theme Park Concepts and Services, with the assistance of the Penang state government, has finally paid off." (Reference)

Separately, the chief minister was quoted at a press conference as saying, "It's a simple matter where the state's interest was that if the park made money, we would collect taxes and if they don't, the state doesn't lose anything.

28 October, 2014
The Star reports that the Penang Global Tourism (PGT) expresses shock over the allegation by a Gerakan leader that it is involved in the Wet World Wild (WWW) open sea waterpark.

27 October, 2014
The Star reports Penang Gerakan chairman Teng Chang Yeow saying that the state should come clean on issues involving the Wet World Wild (WWW) theme park, and explain to the people of Penang why the theme park closed down barely eight months into operations. When opening the party's Deepavali open house, Teng said, "The project was done in collaboration with Penang Global Tourism. We want to know why a project involving a state agency can just cease like that."

¹ 23 October, 2014
Barely ten months after its opening, Wet World Wild has closed, thus reports The Star. Customers who bought their tickets online and are unable to use the theme park may contact the staff member Steven Chang via text message to 017 289 0366.

15 January, 2014: I received an email from Melvin Kuo, the Regional Account Director of Wet World Adventure Park. He acknowledges the issues I mentioned in my write-up above. Mr Kuo also explained to me the price structure, or "how much they have to charge what they charge". This includes hiring lifeguards and installing the longest jellyfish netting in the country, at a cost of RM100,000, to make it the safest waters off Batu Feringghi.

Getting there

The nearest bus stop is served by Rapid Penang bus 101 and 102. From there, walk towards the entrance, past the parking area, go down the flight of stairs towards the beach and then onward to the park entrance.

Stairs to the beach at Stairs to the beach at Moonlight Bay (5 January 2014)


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