To be absolutely clear: people have died here, on more than on occasion. It's like the whole place was designed to be The Last Water Slide You Ever Ride or something. There is nothing stopping you from falling off of these steps and onto slick rock and sliding all the way to the bottom besides your own balance.
apparently if you jump into it, you'll get sucked to the bottom by a powerful drain that will keep you down there until you drown. this is known because it's happened to people. the city's response has always been "well don't do that."
it's a lot of water, all around you, moving very fast. It gets very loud at the bottom, it's like standing next to a waterfall. I took some videos that I'll upload soon and share here in my next post. I went there with my dad, he's the bald dude in the white and blue shirt over the Star Wars tee (I bought him the Star Wars tee for a birthday or Father's Day or something)
when it's in full motion with sound it's conveys the absurdly dangerous everything of this place a lot better, i think.
below is a rare cameo appearance by Me, where i ask the true philosophical questions posed by the Water Gardens.
here's some video of Water.
here's some video of Water, but in 60p.
and in this last video in the Water Gardens saga, my dad and I barely escape with our lives before running into the next Trial of the Water Gardens: Mountain. We did not stay much longer to explore, but it seems to possess all the danger of the "Active Water Pool" without any of the water. I'm surprised there aren't bloodstains all over the ground around it.
And after experiencing this Gauntlet, I am left with the burning question: what the fuck is the point of this place. why is it here, dropped down in the middle of downtown Fort Worth like it's nobody's business. it feels like something an architect would sketch in a notebook when they were bored, not something that would ever actually be built.