Walt Disney World Wave Machine - FORGOTTEN 1971 History

[@currifam3]

I went fishing with a Disney guide as our boat captain. He took us to that exact spot near the island because the sunken wave machine was a great fishing spot. We caught 30 fish in 2 hours.

[@kylie-gracewagner2790]

Fyi, I'm borrowing my granddaughters id for this.. When I was a kid in 1977-79 I would ride my bike 5 miles fr 192 up sr535 to Lake Buena Vista then a Disney bus or monorail to the Polynesian to rent the mini speedboats from the same boat dock that you rented from... i still remember that it cost $7.50 for a half hour and i was actually able to rent it myself without an adult at like 12-13 years old. Was literally my fave thing to do when i was living there as a kid. Awesome, amazing place to grow up back then. Pretty girls from every corner of the planet who were there for a week then gone forever...

[@magiccheeseball]

That's amazing you rode your bike there! I went there all the time too as a kid the earlier years it was six bucks for a half an hour that's 2 yards I had to mow haha it was worth it though and I only rented this boat number 48 it was twice as fast as in the other ones and got some good jumps on the waves from those Jungle Cruise looking Transportation boats the ferry boat was crappy small waves. Got to see the wave machine in operation once they left it on all day on this really cold winter day the waves were only about 2 ft but cool seeing them break into offshore winds I wonder if it could have made bigger waves but they just didn't have it turned up? Later years after the internet I found out the trouble was erosion at the base of the wave machine and the structural Integrity of the foundation

[@Twisted_Adventures2]

Back in the early 2000s we had Bay Lake/7 seas cleanup. We were allowed to go on all of the islands except Discovery. Besides finding some unmentionable things that washed ashore, there are firework launching areas(probably what you said were maintenance areas)

[@hughes53cr]

Ive done the fishing trip in the seven seas lagoon and you can see the shape of the wave machine on the fish finder.

[@stratman50th]

Another reason it was abandoned if I'm not mistaken was the machine beat itself up. It couldn't be kept running without a lot of extra maintenance. Interesting as there are a lot of people who don't know it even existed.

[@jacklanders7527]

I forget if I asked already, any videos on carousel of progress tunnel system , completely separate from main Tunnel system,???? I discovered it myself and went in numerous times when I worked there

[@LUNITICWILL]

*goes near old wave machine. *knows the rumors of sunken parts. *hits remnants of wave machine and sinks the boat.

[@mielvanvelzen5967]

LUNITIC WILL such a boat will not sink quickly, besides if they rent these boats out they will have made sure that doesnt happen.

[@epicphail2926]

Miel van Velzen it was a joke

[@michaelsmith9671]

As You got the boat going, the first few moments, and to the left, the large brown buildings with bungalows, ( the 1:40 mark) is supposedly where John Lennon signed the papers ending the Beatles.,Or so I have seen in other blogs.

[@BenLaurence]

Awesome video! I've always wanted to rent a boat and go adventuring around the Seven Seas Lagoon/Bay Lake area. Go see the old wave machine, River Country and Discovery Island. Great work though, these new Walt Disney World videos are fantastic

[@icegiant1000]

Adam, how do you stay motivated? You do a vlog every day. I can hardly do anything every day.

[@epicphail2926]

Not anymore...

[@michaelmichaelfordloverman8332]

Adam the woo one of the best vloggers ever on youtube thanks for sharing this adventure adam your awsome

[@PanickedTato]

I love when you do these obscure remnants videos Adam. As a fellow lover of all things extinct at WDW, it makes me smile!

[@davidhinshaw2013]

Great piece Adam. The waterways of WDW are like a forgotten attraction and an engineering marvel. The Reedy Creek Improvement District.

[@PapaWheelie1]

Cool that you rented a boat - the front is called the bow by the way

[@interstellaraxeman4468]

My new all time fave ATW video,.is now,......THIS ONE!! ...Last time I was there in April,..there were still a few spots left on the Personal Watercraft rental tour,...they guide you along as a group for 1 hour,..and yes,...they go past Discovery Island. That looks like a lotta fun... Thanks Adam The Woo!.....

[@chartle1]

I saw this wave machine demoed on the Mike Douglas Show. I had heard it was to have surfing or that they just wanted to have the sounds of gentle waves breaking on the beach.

[@gc4644]

Cliff Hartle I must have missed that episode, would LOVE to see it!! I remember watching the one mike douglas episode where he was playing tennis with Jamie Farr at the Contemporary, and went on Space Mountain with his wife (i skipped school that day just to watch that episode). Lol

[@NvrCompromise]

It's awesome to see you doing disney world videos again! balance has been restored to the Universe.

[@kylie-gracewagner2790]

Not so fun facts: the Polynesian beach is also where a very young child was killed and partially eaten by an alligator... You won't see that in the Disney pr

[@mcfrdmn]

Very interesting videoclip of the Seven Seas Lagoon at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

[@vinnythayer9557]

Just wanted to say thank you for all your explorations. I can't go out like I use to. (Disabled) My wife and I say keep up the awesome work. Our favorites are your theme park exploits. You ROCK !!

[@artkincell]

Adam! Love the Johnny Bravo hairdo. And sometimes when I need a chuckle, I play the beginning over and over to see the awesomeness that is The Woo.

[@peteallyn412]

Thanks for the 3 hour tour Adam!

[@taylorward3773]

I am so glad you made a video for this!

[@curtisj555]

Thanks for the great videos Adam keep up the great work!

[@ComputerLearning0]

Surfing contest? How big were these waves? I'm surprised Disney didn't conduct some type of shore erosion testing BEFORE spending $400,000 on a wave machine to see how it would affect the opposing shore line BEFORE putting all that money into it. That's the very *first* thing I would have thought of. Wish there was some video from back in the day showing it in operation.

[@Robothut]

I would like to see some old video of the wave machine in action, or at least the waves. Thanks for posting, never knew the story before.

[@magiccheeseball]

they didn't have personal video cams back then only movie cameras. i have a 8mm movie of it making some waves. it was very rare that it was ever on, someone in my family had taken a shot of it with 8 mm movie camera but its stored someplace in a warehouse in the universal studios back lot for 20 years and the film was from around 1974 so idk what kind of shape the film is in.

[@ElementofKindness]

This is one fact I didn't know about Disney World. Intriguing!!! I researched a little about it. It was claimed it could make waves from 4 inches to 4 feet!!! Dang! That is downright respectable! I wonder if there wouldn't be a way to construct the shoreline and lake bed to allow the wave machine to work without the erosion?

[@taylorward3773]

+Element of Kindness That's way too much work, and I'm sure that wouldn't even work anyways.

[@ElementofKindness]

Taylor Ward For Disney!?! Heck, they made both lakes. Modifying some shoreline would be inconsequential in comparison to everything else they've done.

[@taylorward3773]

Element of Kindness They still wouldn't do it, they're still working on Disney Springs and Avatar Land and all that. And I feel like it would be some sort of a safety hazard.

[@ElementofKindness]

Taylor Ward Well, I can't argue that. They've moved on from so much since their beginnings.

[@gc4644]

Element of Kindness , With Todays technology they most certainly could redo this very nicely (probably make a concrete or fiberglass beach to avoid corrosion. Cant believe the project mgr back then didnt think about the corrosion element!). However Disney most certainly will NOT do it because the lake is now so polluted that no one is allowed to swim in the 7 seas lagoon (or even Bay Lake) any longer. I can remember swimming in that lagoon many times back in the 70s & 80s, it used to be crystal clear and clean as a whistle. Looking at 7 seas lagoon and Bay Lake now,,, well its just plain sad and disgusting. Not sure if Disney has plans to clean up the water (or if its even possible to do such a thing of that magnitude).

[@MikeKarschti]

Loved this video! Very creative adventure. Very well done. Super cool to see you cruise around the Seven Seas Lagoon. I need to do that!

[@USAF-Medtech]

A cast member that was an engineer on the project on other podcast said the vibration of the wave machine basically was destroying itself and the mounts at the island.

[@TheRealSmithFamily]

$400,000 in 1971 is roughly $2,306,611.25 today!

[@HereForAStorm]

Cool seeing the Grand Floridian in the background... I haven't been since 1993 but I remember staying there so well.

[@ckitchen02]

Nice stuff, I hope you captured more B-roll footage for future videos!

[@HistoryHappens]

Great video! I love the obscure and forgotten things!

[@mysteriousyoungman]

Awesome, never knew this. I believe I have seen that picture before with the surfer in an old visitor's guide. By the way, just a tip, it is the BOW of the boat buddy. Thanks for this video and keep it up.

[@pillcosby7518]

This is the best channel for abandon places

[@Anonymoose]

Yet another one I never knew about. I'd be sorely tempted to park there and explore the island.

[@midwesternexplorers8231]

Adam you live my dream dude.. Keep up the amazing work you do!

[@stevenholt5692]

Love these videos. Very interesting.

[@JillQuam]

I was hired with another female surfer from Georgia to give surfing lessons at this attraction.There were many issues with this machine that couldn’t be solved with the technology at the time.The San Diego company tasked with building this machine was to get paid when they actually created a teaching wave which happened for one day and what my co worker told me the “machine”blew up.Myself I left before that day to actually go surfing on a “real”wave.

[@Dive-Bar-Casanova]

Outstanding Adam.

[@UptownWatta]

adam long time follower (jerry springer influence) time and time again you keep my love of UE alive.. Ive been reading about this wave machine on various boards for the past 3 or 4 years always wondering about it.. glad you provided some footage... sidenote... i would realllllly appreciate if you could check out geauga lake in ohio, the fountainebleau in vegas, hickory chase in hilliard ohio oh and do a tour of scranton pa... you know for the michael scott in us all... keep exploring! !!

[@TwesomE]

Adam the man you give another meaning to the words web surfing dude.

[@adamthewoo]

+T@wesomE ha good one. thanks for watching

[@TwesomE]

+adamthewoo Always on board dude always on board. ;)

[@tonymurrietta6373]

Another great video!

[@jasoncataldi2053]

What a great idea they had with bringing the Hawaiian Pipeline waves to Disney's Polynesian resort giving it the authentic feel of Hawaii....I understand they were concerned with the shoreline BUT with today's technology they can figure something out. BRING IT BACK!

[@trevorgautereaux]

Adam, your Miami Connection shirt is amazing

[@jackpast8462]

Don't get banned from WDW! Great history and video. You guys have an excitement that's contagious!

[@gc4644]

I went to wdw many times thru the early & mid 70s (including the official grand opening on 10/25/71). I remember hearing about that wave machine on that little island. I recall thinking it was cutting edge technology (as i never heard of one before). As it very much interested me, i remember each time we'd go to wdw in the early to mid 70s, id always look for waves coming from that little island. And i can honestly say that of the dozens & dozens of times we went throughout the early & mid 70s, not once did i EVER see any types of waves coming from that little island. I would think that whomever the rocket scientist was that spearheaded that wave machine project idea AND got Uncle Roy to spend $400,000 on its failure, probably (hopefully) did not end up working for Disney to much longer. THAT idea was obviously an epic expensive failure because its project mgr obviously did no due diligence in researching things, he/she deserved to be fired!

[@certaintyisabsurd]

Guy Conklin I was there in 74. Stayed at the Polynesian and there were small waves, about 1 foot high, just big enough to make some wave sounds on the beach. They seemed bigger than what would occur naturall on a lake that size. I rented a boat while there and didn't notice waves or the machine on the little island. On the shoreline where the maintenance dock is now, up to just south of the little canal where the water pageant floats are stored was some kind of machinery that ran along the water's edge and pretty good sized waves were coming from there. I had rented a mini boat and used those waves to get a push to go faster. It seemed to me that was the wave machine, but now I don't know what the machinery there was because so many people say it was on the island. But there was definitely something making waves somewhere in that lake when I was there.

[@OBFDFireGroundFilms]

Remember Adam, boats don't have brakes, thanks for another great video!

[@veromikes]

Still one of my favorite videos

[@crisslastname9417]

Very interesting & well done!

[@rkgaustin]

$400,000 in 1971 = $2,372,701.23 in 2016.

[@grapesoda2222]

great video I love all of your videos there awesome but this one is cool

[@srarcade]

I have some home video from 85 that still shows most of it in tact. I wonder when it was all finally removed. Also a shame they can't maintain the shorelines anymore I miss the sandy beaches!

[@longhairbear]

I think the defunct magazine E Ticket did an article on the wave machine years ago. It would be great to find some video of the waves coming at the Poly, I'm going a search.

[@FasterTheDragster]

really awesome tour and info, always

[@dilloncampbell1722]

this is so interesting I'm gonna look more into this

[@suziephillips2320]

Alligators are in that water so that would have been a disaster with swimming and a wave machine.

[@McCracken257]

loved this video! Thanks !!

[@veronny2756]

I am surprised that you can get that close on your own rented boat. I would think lots of people would try to get off and onto the islands.

[@SleepyJoe1973]

Thanks Dick Nunis! You gave it a good old college try, but it just didn't work out :(. I also herd that it caused one of the ferry boats to almost capsize becsaue the waves were so real, and that it broke down like 4 times a day and the money just wasn't there. Really sad.

[@magiccheeseball]

the waves were nowhere near the ferry boats , they only broke very close to the shore about 2 feet high and abut 30 or so yards wide in a area about a hundred yards west of the Polynesian hotel. it didn't break down 4 times a day because it was never on even. i only saw it turned on once on a really cold day with a wind coming out of the west. the area was roped off with rope and floats the same kind they had in swimming areas then. no boat rentals where out that day. it looked really cool though just like real ocean waves breaking close to shore.

[@TRON8882]

There any gators in the WDW lagoon?

[@rockstcar]

I've been to this resort, it was spectacular!

[@imaboygenius]

looks like you had a blast!

[@caaaarrrrllllll92]

I LOVE THE DRAGON SOUND T SHIRT THAT ADAM IS WEARING!!!!!!!!

[@Connected2U2]

From my understanding the "Wave Machine" had less to do with establishing water activities and much more to do with trying to resolve the problem with stagnant water in the lagoon, and trying to force a faux tidal current to flush & circulate the 'bay'. But because the shores were man made (basically just sand poured over marsh) the waves made a mess of the sand and turned the 'lagoon' into a muddy stinky bog with waves. I think they ended up using most of the wave machine to construct an underwater system akin to what you see a sewage treatment plants except completely underwater and only for slight circulation.

[@gc4644]

Connected2U2 Interesting points. I had not heard the stagnant water explanation before. It could be true, but im not sure i buy it. Disney had/has ALOT of watercraft operating in those waters 8-12 hours a day which stirs that water up better than i believe any wave machine can do. So i really wouldnt consider the 7 seas lagoon nor Bay Lake to have stagnant water..

[@cadetrenew]

Guy Conklin Well, unfortunately it most certainly is stagnant and polluted. You can't even swim in it because of how bad it is.

[@Bellarose_binfinds]

Awesome ! How much do those boats cost to rent ?.. Soo neat:)

[@jesuswasasocialist4349]

I remember there being green structures on these islands. I think they were speakers used for the sea pageants

[@Ryan19812012]

You can drive your own boat cool. I got to go there.

[@NannerMan]

How many damn islands does Disney own?!

[@s0nnyburnett]

+Squid Kid The Disney Empire is hungry.

[@MrMcfly125]

+Squid Kid Well it is an artificial lake, so as many as they wanted. But I get your point.

[@ofclshn]

The entire property is over 30,000 acres, so not enough.

[@taylorward3773]

+Squid Kid Technically they only own one real island, Castaway Cay.

[@patrick315]

@@taylorward3773 that’s leased

[@lifeofjubo6844]

Great video

[@4.9copblank49]

interesting video Captain Woo

[@LannyBenny]

Awesome video! Did they ever get the wave machine up and running?

[@gagemoss1075]

There is a waterpark in Tempe, AZ called "Big Surf" that dates from about the same time. It's been in operation since. I'm sure the technology is about the same.

[@rhettpena6398]

+Gage Moss Based on the photos the wave machine at disney world would have operated off of very different principles. The photos look like it worked by some sort of agitation where as Big Surf works a lot like a toilet. Not to mention Big Surf's wave pool was still protected by their patent at that point in time. Which would have prevented disney from copying the way it operated.

[@meganweiner920]

This was posted on my birthday, lol!

[@DevinShillingtonSkateboarding]

You look a LOT like andy shrock. Great video by the way, subscribing.

[@CarmenandBrian]

That was really interesting! It's amazing to me they let anyone rent a boat and drive around with all the other "transportation" boats and ferries out there. Do you have to have boating experience?

[@bweaver1985]

The island behind it has the fireworks mortars for the wedding pavilion.

[@austiniscoolduh]

this makes me wonder what is on all of the islands in the middle of that lake? i think there are a few. I've always wondered if people have swam up to it - im sure there have been

[@MoonlitLycan]

Well if this is the same lake, then the abandoned Discovery Island is out on it.

[@lundopictures]

+MoonlitLycan I may be wrong, but I believe that's on Bay Lake, just past Contemporary.

[@foxlikessapphics]

+Dankrupt In Florida we usually have things that look like "islands" in the middle of bodies of water like this. Usually it's just a lot of plant life growing up from below that looks like a solid land formation. Usually, there is very little "land" if any, there. But that is where many actual islands come from, interestingly enough. But yeah, those things aren't stable enough to actually put anything on. Aside from maybe emergency life equipment in the case of a sinking nearby.

[@austiniscoolduh]

Shannon Bristol yea im from florida too so i know what you mean. but this one specific island that i'm thinking of in my memory has like an small old beaten up dock and looks like it has some solid ground. ugh im so curious now

[@foxlikessapphics]

Dankrupt Actually the one with the dock used to be Discovery Island. That dock is one of the last little bits that visible without actually going onto the island

[@DestinyStellaNox]

@adamthewoo even if the wave machine operated for longer than intended, wouldn't it have still been shut down due to the change Florida laws, which prohibited unchlorinated natural water bodies from being used for water park attractions. Since that did play a part in the closing of River Country as well.

[@alecboucher5984]

DestinyStellaNox I would think the same thing. But my theory is maybe the laws we're different back then or the lake did have chemicals in it. I know some lakes for recreational use put a mixture of chlorine and something else to just kill off decontaminates. Idk how that would work for something so big, but I'm sure they found a way around it

[@LadyAkumaProductions]

It's too bad Disney is so strict, I'd love to see you explore the abandoned Discovery Island and all the old stuff on it, unless they've started using it lately.

[@LadyAkumaProductions]

+englanddg Oh I know, but I would love to see it from an AtW perspective... he'd probably have some killer footage when it was all said and done.

[@RCCrawlerz209]

Would be cool if WDW brought back the wave machine in some way, shape or form, I know it would cost them 1 shiny penny just to do it, still, would be pretty cool. Q: Adam, would it be cool if you got a camera & dove into the waters to find what remains?? that would be a cool underwater vlog. :)

[@RCCrawlerz209]

Who said someone was going to....-.- It's an idea, it's an option....

[@RCCrawlerz209]

-.- JUST FOR THE OCEAN AFFECT.....DUH......just saying....nobody has to go swimming....like I said....who said anything about swimming? Huh? Somebody said something about swimming? Did they? Yeah? They did? NO!! Nothing about it!! So there isn't anything about swimming! Could be something to look at for that matter.....

[@RCCrawlerz209]

Oh well, excuse me for correcting myself! I'm just saying IF he were to get the rights to do so...... Though...still, for how MUCH money Disney would have to put into it to make it again. Neat idea it would be... So what if something washes up, it happens quite alot at the oceans already, I'm sure they would clean it up before "remaking" the damn machine! But in all honesty I'm not here to argue...

[@gc4644]

englanddg , Yep i agree with you. Even though SSL and Bay Lake BADLY needs a major cleanup, i just dont see how its possible to do it. Given the enormity of logistics, scope, and size/depth of the 2 lakes, such a project and all its huge requirements is simply & unfortunately not feasible. But If it was possible, Im not sure Bay Lake and SSL would/should be isolated. As access between the 2 lakes is mandatory for wdw water traffic. I too remember swimming in both lakes back in the 70s & 80s, the water was crystal clear and clean as can be! My favorite spot was swimming at the poly beach, as i remember I could watch the sky jets ride twirl around while i was swimming! Alas, now the 2 lakes are,,,, well, just plain sad and disgusting...

[@JusCallMeJD]

So based off recent events will you be going back out onto the seven seas lagoon?

[@1ivannthegreat]

He should've at least Drone those waters on a sunny day , when yes it will get showed up in a bird's eye view.

[@charlescrisefi8784]

So what about alligators?

[@jstrahan2]

$400,000 in 1971 would be about $2,350,000 today.

[@MrJeffy45]

Bring back the wave machine, fuck the shore line!!!!

[@jacktv8606]

+MrJeffy45 I hope you're joking. Do you know how much money it would- Oh, right, it's Disney.

[@foxlikessapphics]

+MrJeffy45 You would seriously NOT be saying that if you lived in Florida. People who say shit like this piss me off, even if they're joking. It's super annoying.

[@BlaneSchwindt]

+Shannon Bristol what are you talking about? what does disney's man made shore line destruction have to do with people living in florida. I have lived 30 minutes from disney my entire life and think it would be sick if disney held surf competitions. Fuck their man made sand bar. its not part of florida nature shorelines. put up a retention wall or a concrete beach that extends into the water with real sand farther up.

[@HereForAStorm]

+Shannon Bristol lol, you are a fucking idiot.

[@ndawg1308]

+MrJeffy45 There is dangerous bacteria in the lake , they actually had a water park that connected to the lake that they shut down do to the bacteria .

[@natserog]

I wish Adam would go to Kauai and do location sets of Blue Hawaii, Jurassic Park and South Pacific where Mitsy Gainer sang on Lumahai Beach where she sings Im gonna wash that man right out of my hair. thumbs up!!!

[@christopherjohnson3520]

Hey 👋 Look, It’s Captain 🧑‍✈️ Woo & His First Mate Micah. There Goes The Monorail 🚝 !!!

[@Garrettcube]

I never knew that Walt Disney World had a wave machine. Also you should have gone to Discovery Island as well.

[@chrisgronau1794]

Adam, I'm sure your sick of people asking you to go places. So sorry I'm going to. Goldfield Nevada is a great mining town. Vanishing point was filmed there, and Cherry 2000. Also you have the insanely haunted Goldfield hotel where the flying brick, and boards were caught on camera. People from all over the world offer me and another person thousands of dollars for just an hour in the hotel. I'll let you in, and guarante it will be one of your most watched videos. Love your videos take care

[@Toppervision1]

I remember the wave machine! It was there but already turned off. I remember my dad explaining what it was. This was many years ago. And who knew you could rent a boat! Of course I remember when you could rent the tiny speedboats, even back when they used to go fast. But my brother and I seriously collided and got escorted back to the marina. Which was probably one of the cases which led to them being removed. Ya think? Letting kids with no experience out loose in little boats?!?

[@scotthouston4714]

+Toppervision1 Those little boats are still there. When we were there back in May. They little boats were still there. I think they call them water mice. We could see them every time we had to catch a ferry from the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds Dock.

[@Toppervision1]

Scott Houston Oh I see. I guess they're still there then. Remember when they used to go fast?

[@scotthouston4714]

Toppervision1 I don't know how I remember this. I think it was around 1976 or 1977 when Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds was known as Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. My dad rented one of them and when he opened it up. I think I grabbed hold of the handle and hold on till I got use to it. I have no idea if they go that fast anymore.

[@Toppervision1]

Scott Houston I don't think they do. Honestly they were going too fast for the general public to use. Just like I mentioned, we rammed each other but it wasn't on purpose. We just had never driven boats! But at that time I clearly remember they were transitioning to slower boats. About half of them were going slow and people were complaining about the people who could go fast.

[@buzz25]

+Toppervision1 LOL... went there on a HS band trip back in '79. The little speed boats were great. And yes, several of us were also escorted back to the marina.

[@jeffreymcfadden3077]

the front of the boat is called the BOW!

[@nichothepolish9868]

Suprisely, they putted a gate in front of discovery island's port and front entrance

[@GreenJeep1998]

I'll have to ask my parents about this, I think they went to WDW a couple times in the early 70's.

[@Troublingarcher7]

Can you head out to Discovery Island one day? Be careful though because security will chase you away if they catch you

[@97VobraOwner]

Dude... wonder if there are any pictures of the waves that were created by the machine??

[@ocularnervosa]

Hey, keep your hands and arms in the ride until it comes to a complete stop.

[@WyattZirb]

Get a diving suit (rent it) and go check it out

[@berkmanyt]

Whups… wave pool I'm thinking of was at Typhoon Lagoon…are you familiar with this ?

[@sherrybell3924]

How did you get a boat & how are you allowed to drive it around there?

[@magiccheeseball]

They rent them