Fishing for Fear: The Day Universal Studios' Jaws Ride Shocked Visitors

In July 1990, Universal Studios' tagline 'Ride the Movies' turned into a startling reality for Anthony Salamone. The 39-year-old New Jersey banker, visiting the Florida theme park with his family, discovered that ride options were scarce. Despite the park, open for just a month, boasting attractions tied to big names like King Kong and Back to the Future's Marty and Doc, it had been struggling with issues since its debut. The Jaws ride, in particular, was proving to be a major headache, as Salamone would soon find out.

Salamone and his family stepped onto a pontoon boat that navigated a lagoon surrounded by New England-style scenery. As they left the dock, it almost felt like they had been whisked away from Orlando to the fictional town of Amity from Jaws. But then disaster struck: A railing gave way, and Salamone was suddenly plunged into the water face-to-face with cinema's most fearsome predator.

While the animatronic shark wasn't bloodthirsty, it was notorious for its unpredictable movements. As Salamone quickly noticed, it was heading straight for him. 'The shark's gonna eat daddy!' one of his kids reportedly screamed. The only thing missing was John Williams's legendary soundtrack.

Salamone emerged from the water with only minor injuries—scrapes and bruises—and even got a round of applause from onlookers who mistook his ordeal for part of the show. However, the ride's main attraction wasn't as lucky. Similar to the mechanical shark in Steven Spielberg's 1975 film, the Jaws ride was riddled with technical issues.

A Colossal Challenge

When Universal was deciding which films to turn into attractions for their new Florida park, Jaws was an obvious choice. The original blockbuster was one of the studio's most iconic titles, and its thrilling narrative made it ideal for a theme park ride. Moreover, the film's life-sized animatronic shark promised to deliver the same level of terror in the park as it did on the big screen.

At least, that was the plan. The creators of the Jaws ride overlooked a critical lesson Spielberg had learned during the film's production: animatronics and water are a problematic combination. Despite numerous special effects experts deeming the creation of a 25-foot mechanical shark for the movie an impossible feat, Hollywood veteran Bob Mattey eventually stepped out of retirement to tackle the challenge.

Mattey managed to craft three enormous robotic sharks (all named Bruce, after Spielberg's attorney), but their durability in water was dubious. Filming took place in the actual ocean around Martha's Vineyard, and the saltwater quickly corroded the animatronics' electric motors within a week—forcing a switch to a pneumatic tube system. Even when functional, the animatronics required daily draining, cleaning, and repainting. Relying on the puppets as originally intended simply wasn't practical.

Spielberg cleverly sidestepped these technical hurdles by keeping the shark largely off-screen for much of the film—a decision now celebrated as a masterstroke in storytelling and emulated by numerous monster movies since. However, the designers of the Jaws ride didn't have the luxury of clever camera angles. For the ride to function, the shark had to perform reliably multiple times a day, every day.

This type of attraction wasn't entirely new. The ride's creators drew inspiration from the Universal Studios backlot tour in Hollywood, where a mechanical Bruce leaps out of the water at tram passengers. But while that experience lasts roughly a minute, the Jaws ride aimed to deliver far more—or at least tried to.

Stranded in Failure

In ideal conditions, the Jaws ride was an impressive spectacle. Visitors boarded a pontoon boat guided by a live skipper, embarking on a seemingly peaceful tour of Amity Island. However, the journey took a dramatic turn as it became evident that a shark was wreaking havoc on the town. At one point, the massive three-ton predator would approach the boat and take a bite, complete with a mouth equipped with real shark teeth for added realism.

Paying tribute to the film, the ride concluded with the skipper launching a grenade into the shark's mouth, causing it to 'explode' and disappear beneath the water. The scene was enhanced by floating chunks of artificial shark flesh and water tinted blood-red for dramatic effect.

Sadly, this wasn't the norm for riders—or for Universal, which had invested $30 million in the attraction. Maneuvering a colossal robot through water proved far more challenging than anticipated. Often, the shark's movements didn't align with the boat's, making it appear to attack empty space. At times, the climactic explosion failed to occur. With the ride's machinery submerged 20 feet underwater, maintenance was a logistical nightmare. Guests who endured technical glitches were fortunate to experience the ride at all, as it was infamous for frequent breakdowns.

Universal quickly recognized that the Jaws ride's issues couldn't be resolved with simple fixes. Then, Salamone's plunge into the water with the shark added to the ride's woes. Although unrelated to technical malfunctions, the incident cast a shadow over the attraction's future. Salamone filed a $1 million lawsuit against the park, citing negligence and poor maintenance. Universal, in turn, sued MCA, the ride's designers, for alleged engineering flaws and subpar craftsmanship. By August 1990, just two months after its debut, Universal conceded that Jaws was a failure. They opted to dismantle the ride entirely and start over.

Jaws: The Ride—A Second Attempt

Following multiple delays, Universal Studios Orlando unveiled its revamped Jaws ride in 1993. This updated version abandoned the original explosive finale, opting instead to draw inspiration from the sequel, where the shark meets its end through electrocution.

Visitors didn't seem to mind the new ending: Jaws the Ride 2.0 remained operational for almost 20 years, with many riders unaware it wasn't the original version.

The updated Jaws ride far outlasted its predecessor but still faced challenges. It consumed significant amounts of fuel and was costly to maintain. Following the triumph of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Studios seized the chance to shut down Jaws for good, making space for a new Potter-themed area. In 2012, the animatronic shark made its final appearance.

While some park-goers remember the Jaws ride for its frustrations and gasoline smell, others cherish it fondly. Since its closure, nearly 225 million people have watched ride-through videos of the final version on YouTube. Tributes to the attraction remain in the park, including a giant great white statue where the ride once stood. Though less thrilling than the mechanical shark, it guarantees no technical hiccups.