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Submersible Roller Coaster
goes above and below water
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Why aren't there any roller coasters yet that go underwater? They would have to have sealable cars so people wouldn't drown or get hurt (sort of like fighter jet canopies but longer), and it would take a while to get all the people into and out of it. The front of it would have a nosecone so it could plow into the water. Also the water would slow it down a lot so it would have to be designed with some extra power.

dj_photon, Nov 21 2001

Journey to Atlantis http://orlando.abou...eekly/aa061900b.htm
Kinda like this? At Seaworld Orlando. [Cedar Park, Oct 04 2004]

Kraken http://www.orlandof.../smashes_record.htm
Or something like this (although more along [mlynn]'s thoughts) [Cedar Park, Oct 04 2004]

[link]






       I think that the impact from hitting the water would likely cause whiplash or something. If it worked, it would be very fun, though.

mighty_cheese, Nov 22 2001
  

       How about a submersible ferris wheel? When passengers embark or disembark (...'ark'?!) the various chairs, the ferris wheel must be stopped, so it would be necessary to hold breath underwater then as well as during the ride if you want to live.

thumbwax, Nov 22 2001
  

       You could streamline the cars to avoid any kind of whiplash. If fact [dj_photon] suggests a nose cone, probably for this very porpoise.

Aristotle, Nov 22 2001
  

       I have had this idea for years. The submerged part of the ride would be a fiber glass tube or whatever the material is that large aquariams have and would have the track built through it. The riders are not actually submerged but the tube is. This could open the door for so many possibilities such as a deep drop into a dark abyss area or there could be scary sea monster props along the tubing. I can't wait.

mlynn, Feb 03 2002
  

       For Steve DeGroof: I used to be on a diving team and although I never did any platform diving, my coach said teams that do it train in a pool with a bubble machine. The machine blows a huge bubble under water and the diver has to leave the platform at a specific time. Then the diver falls toward the water as the bubble floats up. The diver and the bubble meet at the surface and the diver is protected from injury in the case of hitting the water wrong. So if this is true, something similar could be used. But the original idea involved a thick (possibly solid), streamlined, metal nosecone on the front of the rollercoaster. I think it could be engineered similar to space shuttle nosecones. That would probably be stong enough.   

       for mlynn: I don't like the submerged aquarium tube idea though, sorry. It reminds me of the similar structure in the Jaws movie, which was supposed to be scary, but was more annoying than scary. The water around the tube would be more like scenery than a ride feature. There are more efficent/cost-effective ways to achieve similar scenery effects.   

       Also, if somebody DID want sharks around (not mentioned yet), I would not expect them to swim near all the noise.

dj_photon, Jun 29 2003
  

       Along the same theme as Steve DeGroof’s what about adding something to the water to help break the surface tension… I am thinking soap. Laundry detergent would reduce van der waal’s forces, probably not nearly enough, but the bubbles would be fun.

swamilad, Jun 29 2003
  

       re: bubbles in pools, if you pump lots of bubbles in a pool, it essentially decreases the local density of the water. This has been blamed for a few ship sinkings in the bermuda triangle as subsurface methane hydrate deposits are disturbed and gasified.

Freefall, Jun 29 2003
  

       Somebody please justify this: I've heard that cargo ships have energy saving, sphere-shaped devices on the front that break the water into foam, making the ship travel through the water using less energy. It just seems like something other than the ship itself would have to make the foam. Input, anyone?   

       As for the rollercoaster, properly positioned hydraulic motor, rotary-style boosters in the track at the right place, with enough power, should help the train plow into the water with no speed change, and therefore no whiplash.

fogfreak, Jun 29 2003
  
      
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