easiest way to make a water elevator in minecraft?

put a sign or a door in the openings so the water doesn't pour out the side. bubble columns pull you through a door fine. magma one for going down is fine, but you'll take a bit of damage standing on it at the bottom, so step off quick or sneak.

Soul sand at the bottom pushes you up, magma block pulls you down. Build a 1x1 shaft of glass or whatever, put the block at the bottom and fill every block with a water source. Quickest way to make them all sources is to place water at the top and then fill the column with kelp, then break the kelp. Did you use flowing water? That's usually why it doesn't work.