Three‐dimensional interactions between an elliptic vortex ring and two no‐slip parallel walls are visualized in a numerical simulation and an experiment. The vortex ring induces a surface vorticity layer on the wall which reconnects with the vortex ring. During the interaction core‐area‐varying axial waves are generated and carry the surface layer away from the wall. The vortex ring then becomes two tornado‐like structures with strong upward helical flows near the wall surface, which provides entrainment of the surface fluid into the vortex structure. Similarities between the entrainment mechanisms of vorticity in the simulation and dye in the experiment from the surface layer are identified. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.