Report - Beja Aquatica, Portugal - September 2021

[GRONK]

September 2021​

A few years ago, I visited Beja alone while on holiday in the Algarve. Located about an hour's drive north of the Algarve, Beja is mostly home to local Portuguese residents. It isn't a typical tourist destination, and it surprised me to find a large waterpark on the town's outskirts. This might explain why the park has fallen into disrepair after only three years of operation. Unlike other waterparks I have seen in the country, this one has suffered from vandalism, with missing sections on several slides and burnt fibreglass scattered around. Despite this, the park offered great photo opportunities and made for an interesting afternoon.


History
Approximately 5km from Beja in the Alentejo, the remnants of the former summer waterpark, Beja Aquatica, can be found. This park, reportedly owned by a builder from the Algarve, operated for just three years before closing, as stated in an article from April 2014. Despite its dilapidated state, the site remains accessible for adventurous travellers, though some areas require cautious exploration and a camera for capturing memories.

In 2014, a fire set by three young men led to part of the roof collapsing. They ignited a mattress left by a squatter. To date, no arrests have been made. Following the fire, Beja Aquatica faded from the public eye. Local resident Helder Nogueira is working to preserve its memory through a Facebook page dedicated to the park. He also runs pages for other defunct waterparks in Portugal, including Ondaparque, the largest in the country during the 1990s, located in Costa da Caparica.

According to Jornal de Notícias, Beja Aquatica has been closed for around 35 years. However, Nogueira tells Atlas that the park opened in 1989 and shut down in 1992, which aligns with the evidence from the site, including the cafeteria's design. Plans were once in place to build a tourist complex with hotels, but those plans never came to fruition.

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Canon EOS 70D, 10-18 EFS​

 

[GRONK]

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[Bikin Glynn]

Cool place, I do have a strange urge to bike down some of the old flumes

 

[The Young One]

Very nice pictures weired how one has been torched as I thought other countries had less vandalism

 

[GRONK]

Very nice pictures weired how one has been torched as I thought other countries had less vandalism

Tbf, I’ve done 4 water parks in Portugal now and this one is the only one I’ve seen any real vandalism at

 

[mookster]

Very nice pictures weired how one has been torched as I thought other countries had less vandalism

There's loads of vandalism in other countries much like we get here, but the differences lie in the amount of quality stuff that isn't ruined compared to here. Many places in Portugal, Spain, Italy etc are covered in graffiti and are wrecked, but the sheer quantity of decent stuff means it never gets looked at because what would be the point.

 

[The Young One]

There's loads of vandalism in other countries much like we get here, but the differences lie in the amount of quality stuff that isn't ruined compared to here. Many places in Portugal, Spain, Italy etc are covered in graffiti and are wrecked, but the sheer quantity of decent stuff means it never gets looked at because what would be the point.

Sp basically we have shit all decent places?

 

[mookster]

Sp basically we have shit all decent places?

We have a lot of decent stuff but not in comparison to the quantity of quality stuff there is in other countries.

 

[GRONK]

We have a lot of decent stuff but not in comparison to the quantity of quality stuff there is in other countries.

I hope you’re not suggesting places like Camelot and Pontins aren’t quality @mookster?