[Question] How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

[Disneylandfan85]

I read that the hydrolators in the Living Seas don't/didn't actually move anywhere short of two inches. How do/did they achieve this effect of descending if they don't actually move anywhere?

[Pizzapants]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

Actually they didn't even move two inches. One time I was "riding" them with my brother. We were the only ones in it and started arguing whether or not it moved at all. He said they didn't. I said they did. After a few back and forth words, he pulled the entrance door open (there are two doors, enter on one side, exit through the opposite side) and said "SEE?!" There I saw the next people waiting to get on, standing right where we had just been. We didn't move at all. He quickly shut the door and then our "descent" ended and the other door opened.
The effect was completely based on a slight vibration to the cabin, and outside the windows were basically elevator-shaft-like patterns on a conveyor belt going round and round, with some air bubble for extra effect, to make it look like you were indeed going down.

[Disneylandfan85]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

The effect was completely based on a slight vibration to the cabin, and outside the windows were basically elevator-shaft-like patterns on a conveyor belt going round and round, with some air bubble for extra effect, to make it look like you were indeed going down.

How do they do the air bubbles?

[mycroft16]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

How do they do the air bubbles?

With air, in water. More than likely a very thin tank between two thin panes of glass outside each window. Hose at bottom with tiny holes, allow small bubbles out that rise slowly through the thin tank while conveyor belt of texture rotates behind that. Lighting from above.

[Pizzapants]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

What really threw off the effect was that not all of the special effect windows moved at the same speeds. It was convincing I you stared at one, but if you stepped back and got two or more into your view, it was game over.

[Coastierox]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

Actually they didn't even move two inches. One time I was "riding" them with my brother. We were the only ones in it and started arguing whether or not it moved at all. He said they didn't. I said they did. After a few back and forth words, he pulled the entrance door open (there are two doors, enter on one side, exit through the opposite side) and said "SEE?!" There I saw the next people waiting to get on, standing right where we had just been. We didn't move at all. He quickly shut the door and then our "descent" ended and the other door opened.
The effect was completely based on a slight vibration to the cabin, and outside the windows were basically elevator-shaft-like patterns on a conveyor belt going round and round, with some air bubble for extra effect, to make it look like you were indeed going down.

That is so funny! I did the same exact thing to my little brother! I wonder if he remembers it...?

[Pizzapants]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

He's in therapy because of it.

[Coastierox]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

That would've sucked if I was wrong...

[Pizzapants]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

So, the OP has been answered, are we just taking over this thread now?

[Coastierox]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

Seems that way. Good story on how it worked though... Made me laugh maniacally.

[Pizzapants]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

Yeah could you imagine if you were wrong and when you opened the doors, all the water came rushing in and the chamber decompressed and we all drowned and/or imploded from the water and pressure change? Craziness.

[goofy donald]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

Yeah could you imagine if you were wrong and when you opened the doors, all the water came rushing in and the chamber decompressed and we all drowned and/or imploded from the water and pressure change? Craziness.

i think i would be more then a little concerned if a kid could open a highly pressurized chamber deep in the ocean on an underwater elevator designed to keep millions of people a year safe while traveling to an aquatic sea base. wheres a hydrolator mechanic when you need one!

[brightlined]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

The effect was completely based on a slight vibration to the cabin, and outside the windows were basically elevator-shaft-like patterns on a conveyor belt going round and round, with some air bubble for extra effect, to make it look like you were indeed going down.

Just to put a(n unnecessary) fine point on it...

It wasn't that the cabin vibrated, per se. It was mainly the floor. Once the ride "started", the floor would drop a half-inch and shake back-and-forth slightly.

[KingEric]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

People from Idaho/Utah... they like to high jack things all the time!

And the fact that there was a half inch drop and the swaying made it feel real.

Near the end of the life of the Living Seas, at the exit I used to open the Hydrolator doors on the exit side, and just walk out, because I was "too cool" to wait.

[danyoung]

Re: How do/did the hydrolators (at the Living Seas) work?

I really loved that effect. I knew from the first visit that it wasn't really dropping. But the illusion, the show, was so integral to the whole entry of the pavilion that you really did feel like you were somewhere other than at surface level. Every once in a while, when either the ride or the hydrolators were broken, they'd have you enter through the exit doors, which completely ruined the illusion. Call it a willing suspension of disbelief, but I miss them ol' hydrolators!