It slid into decay: Haunting images capture an abandoned Amazonian-themed water park just before its demolition
- Photographer Bob Thissen, from Holland, captured the Atlantida Water Park in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria
- His striking images show how once vibrant palm trees are now wilted and pipelines lie rusted
- The attraction closed in 2009 and is now set to be transformed into a 26m euro (£22m) shopping centre
An abandoned water park that looks like a 'forgotten paradise' has been captured in photographs days before its demolition.
With slides long dried up and the Amazonian themed décor devastated by graffiti, the final days look bleak for the once popular Atlantida Water Park in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria.
The once vibrant palm trees are now wilted and the pipelines that joyful children whizzed through into the waters below now lie rusted.
![An abandoned water park that looks like a 'forgotten paradise' has been captured in photographs days before its demolition](http://web.archive.org./web/20170206114229/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/03/14/3CC9DCCC00000578-0-image-a-10_1486130493308.jpg)
An abandoned water park that looks like a 'forgotten paradise' has been captured in photographs days before its demolition
![With slides long dried up and the Amazonian themed décor devastated by graffiti, the final days look bleak for the once popular Atlantida Water Park in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria](http://web.archive.org./web/20170206114229/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/03/14/3CC9DC4200000578-0-With_slides_long_dried_up_and_the_Amazonian_themed_d_cor_devasta-a-13_1486130546341.jpg)
With slides long dried up and the Amazonian themed décor devastated by graffiti, the final days look bleak for the once popular Atlantida Water Park in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria
![The once vibrant palm trees are now wilted and the pipelines that joyful children whizzed through into the waters below now lie rusted](http://web.archive.org./web/20170206114229/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/03/14/3CC9DC7D00000578-0-The_once_vibrant_palm_trees_are_now_wilted_and_the_pipelines_tha-a-16_1486130588303.jpg)
The once vibrant palm trees are now wilted and the pipelines that joyful children whizzed through into the waters below now lie rusted
![The tourist attraction closed in 2009 and is now set to be transformed into a 26million euro (£22million) shopping centre](http://web.archive.org./web/20170206114229/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/03/14/3CC9DC0400000578-0-image-a-19_1486130613797.jpg)
The tourist attraction closed in 2009 and is now set to be transformed into a 26million euro (£22million) shopping centre
![Photographer Bob Thissen, 31, from Herleen in the Netherlands, slid past demolition equipment to capture the eerie establishment's final days](http://web.archive.org./web/20170206114229/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/03/14/3CC9DB8400000578-0-image-a-22_1486130786572.jpg)
Photographer Bob Thissen, 31, from Herleen in the Netherlands, slid past demolition equipment to capture the eerie establishment's final days
The tourist attraction closed in 2009 and is now set to be transformed into a 26million euro (£22million) shopping centre.
Photographer Bob Thissen, 31, from Herleen in the Netherlands, slid past demolition equipment to capture the eerie establishment's final days.
He said: 'The water park is pretty cool because it's not an ordinary water park, as I have seen often before.
'It's pretty large and it has a nice theme. You can see they spent quite a lot of money on the decorations - I especially liked the skeletons and cobra-head a lot.
'Sometimes a location's surroundings make it a lot cooler, to me this water park is a bit like a forgotten paradise.
![Thissen said: 'The water park is pretty cool because it's not an ordinary water park, as I have seen often before'](http://web.archive.org./web/20170206114229/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/03/14/3CC9DF9C00000578-0-Photographer_Bob_Thissen_31_from_Herleen_in_the_Netherlands_slid-a-25_1486130805345.jpg)
Thissen said: 'The water park is pretty cool because it's not an ordinary water park, as I have seen often before'
![Thissen said: 'It's pretty large and it has a nice theme. You can see they spent quite a lot of money on the decorations - I especially liked the skeletons and cobra-head a lot'](http://web.archive.org./web/20170206114229/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/03/14/3CC9DC3800000578-4188484-_It_s_pretty_large_and_it_has_a_nice_theme_You_can_see_they_spen-a-30_1486133883631.jpg)
Thissen said: 'It's pretty large and it has a nice theme. You can see they spent quite a lot of money on the decorations - I especially liked the skeletons and cobra-head a lot'
![Bob has been urban exploring, also known as 'urbexing', for over nine years and captured this location last year](http://web.archive.org./web/20170206114229/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/03/14/3CC9DBEC00000578-4188484-Bob_has_been_urban_exploring_also_known_as_urbexing_for_over_nin-a-31_1486133924638.jpg)
Bob has been urban exploring, also known as 'urbexing', for over nine years and captured this location last year
'I like the tropical backdrop of the park, the palm trees and rocky mountains.
'Wherever I go I always search for some abandoned places to explore and try to combine this.
'It turned out I was just in time. Demolition had already begun and some demolition equipment was already stalled at the entrance.'
Bob has been urban exploring, also known as 'urbexing', for over nine years and captured this location last year.
![The scene now resembles a horror film set, with dirty pipes and slides and graffiti scarring the area](http://web.archive.org./web/20170206114229/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/03/14/3CC9DF2D00000578-4188484-image-a-36_1486133947279.jpg)
The scene now resembles a horror film set, with dirty pipes and slides and graffiti scarring the area
![Clearly a lot of effort had been put into the Amazonian theme, which makes these images all the more striking](http://web.archive.org./web/20170206114229/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/02/03/15/3CC9DC7400000578-4188484-image-a-37_1486134195873.jpg)
Clearly a lot of effort had been put into the Amazonian theme, which makes these images all the more striking
He added: 'Although I felt safe walking around the water park, almost the whole village could see me.
'I could see a few people calling on their balcony and didn't want to spend hours in a police station.
'You never know how the police reacts to trespassers in foreign countries.
'So I made my way through the park, took my shots and left.'
To see more of his work visit www.bobthissen.com.
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