World-First Water Elevator for Hawaii Water Park

The “world-first” water elevator is a feature at Hawaii’s Grand Wailea Resort as it floats passengers to the top of a huge water park, Metro reports. The water elevator was originally built to help the attraction owner’s physically disabled son get back to the top of the flumes. To use the elevator, participants in the water open up a submarine-like door that leads into a partially submerged cave resembling the bottom of a large well. Water then gradually fills the chamber as a round seating platform rises to the top of the park with an operator watching. After ascending, water is sent cascading over a rock feature in order to lower the platform back down. A pump room provides the mechanical muscle for the slides at the beachside resort, and one operation of the water elevator alone is said to require 16,000 gallons of water. The view from the top of the elevator looks out over the 40-acre resort’s canyon activity area.