The Jaws ride at Universal Studios Florida (USF) was a thrilling but unreliable ride that opened in 1990 as one of the theme park’s original attractions that was based on Steven Spielberg’s classic 1975 film.
Similar to the series of setbacks and problems that plagued Spielberg and the cast throughout the first film’s production, the ride’s robotic sharks regularly experienced mechanical failures, leading to frequent delays and temporary closures.
When the first version of the Jaws ride was functional, it took guests on a pontoon boat tour of the fictional Amity Island. The timeline was set after the films where they encountered the infamous great white shark, nicknamed “Bruce”, after Steven Spielberg’s lawyer.
The original engineering of the first set of sharks for the ride proved too poor for daily usage. As a result, the original version of the ride was closed for an extensive refurbishment in 1991, just months after its initial opening.
The second version of the ride, which reopened in 1993, featured significant improvements for mechanical reliability, although the visual appearance of each shark was considered by most as less realistic than the sharks used in the first ride. Elements of the original ride that changed included the end of sharks biting the boat, and the ending featured the shark being electrocuted, similar to the ending of the Jaws 2 movie.
The sharks on the original version of USF’s Jaws ride had authentic shark teeth across their mouths, which could be clearly seen at one point of the ride when a shark bit one of the boat’s pontoons. Eventually, the authentic teeth had to be replaced with rubber versions.
Another notable aspect of the original ride was its explosive finale. After the skipper shot a fake grenade into the shark’s mouth, an explosion blasted the shark apart, or so it seemed to the naked eye. The pieces were held together by small wires and retrieved to reenact the scene for the next boat in line.
The updated ride was more successful and operated for nearly two decades before closing permanently in 2012. The Jaws ride remains a beloved memory for many theme park enthusiasts and a significant part of Universal Studios Florida’s history.