There are many stories sunken to the bottom of the sea: the treasures of Atlantis, bottles of rum blackbeard, scrolls, pearls, even a volleyball ball Arrived from a desert island. But today we also find a life that emerges from the depths in the form of sculptures and artworks.
Icons that speak of history, millennial characters, present and, especially, future. Because the sea is life and these years are full of symptoms. Hit rock bottom (literally) and you'll find out the best underwater museums in the world.
Atlantic Museum Lanzarote.
ATLANTIC MUSEUM LANZAROTE (CANARY ISLANDS)
Underwater art has become an essential ally when it comes to raise awareness to the world about the state of our oceans . This was the premise that led to the British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor to devise the Atlantic Museum of Lanzarote, inaugurated in 2017. The one considered as first underwater museum in the entire Atlantic Ocean It is made up of 12 sculptures that represent the citizens of the lucky island, and it is located one depth of 12 meters . Accessible through a diving company from Marina Rubicón, in the Las Coloradas beach , the Atlantic Lanzarote is a breath of hope for an ecosystem that has been reborn since the inauguration of the museum.
The Manchones Bankers, at the Underwater Museum of Art, Cancun.
MUSA UNDERWATER MUSEUM OF ART (CANCUN, MEXICO)
In the waters that surround Women Island, Punta Nizuc and Cancun The goddess Ixchel, mother of the rains, femininity and the moon, still roars. A mystical place, caressed by ancient breezes and the perfect canvas where today we find the MUSA underwater museum. Artists like the one mentioned Jason deCaires Taylor, in addition to Karen Salinas or Rodrigo Quiñones , have contributed to a set of more than 500 sculptures since the museum opened in 2010. A project divided into different thematic installations today colonized by the reefs as the perfect union between man, art and nature.
Grenade Underwater Sculpture Park, Grenada.
THE GRENADE UNDERWATER SCULPTURE PARK (GRANADA, CARIBBEAN)
“The ocean is the largest exhibition space an artist could wish for” is a phrase by Jason deCaires that helps to understand the trajectory of this sculptor and his intentions. In addition to his contributions in Lanzarote or Cancun, we find the first major project of the British artist: the underwater park of the caribbean island of Grenade, opened in 2006 in Molinere Bay . A set up 75 sculptures they reveal a famous circle made up of local children holding hands, among other fascinating examples. The perfect excuse to dive in some of the most transparent waters on Earth.
OCEAN ATLAS (NASSAU, BAHAMAS)
With more than 6 meters high and weighing 60 tons , the largest underwater sculpture in the world was also conceived by deCaires and we find it on the west coast of New Providence, in Nassau. The sculptor was inspired by a girl from the Bahamas to recreate the myth of atlas , god in charge of carrying the weight of the sky by order of the almighty Zeus. The sculpture was built in 2014 from sustainable materials that are still standing, despite a subsequent leak of oil from a refinery on the same coast.
‘Planting corals’, in MOUA (Australia).
MOUA (TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA)
If there is one place in the world that cries out for new sustainable initiatives for the marine environment, that is the Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The coastal town of Townsville is the shortcut to MOUA (Museum of Underwater Art) , an innovative project that combines underwater art, research and education through various installations by Jason deCaires Taylor. On a pillar, a colored siren points to the sky, the Sentinels exhibit remember the people dedicated to the salvation of the seas; Y the Coral Greenhouse invites you to a snorkeling excursion through stories that look towards the surface, looking for a truce.
Ecomusée sous-marin, Cannes.
ECOMUSEE SOUS-MARIN (CANNES, FRANCE)
In 2021 one of the last underwater museums in the world was inaugurated in the vicinity of the island of Sainte-Marguerite, in Cannes . The French Riviera is today one of the most vulnerable areas of the Mediterranean due to overfishing, posidonia fields who are dying and fishermen who observe the degradation of the environment without being able to do anything. These problems and 6 local protagonists inspired the set of sculptures made by Jason deCaires that you can visit for free during a diving excursion.
Submerged statue of the Greek god Dionysus in the ruins of Baia, Italy.
THE SUNKEN CITY OF BAIA (ITALY)
South of the city Naples we do not find contemporary sculptures, but the remains of an ancient Roman city. 2000 years ago, Baia was a very popular resort where the poet Virgil or Cleopatra herself They were seen sunbathing. Until the phenomenon called "bradyseism" condemned this oasis of opulence to the depths of the Mediterranean. Roman mosaics, epic sculptures, and millennia-old ruins of Las Vegas from the ancient Roman Empire survive 8 meters deep , awaiting divers and onlookers in search of traces of ancient sins.
The Side Underwater Museum, Turkey.
THE SIDE UNDERWATER MUSEUM (TURKEY)
Last on this list of best underwater museums It is the first open in all of Europe. It was inaugurated in 2015 in the town of side, south of Turkey , after a great effort by the Antalya Branch Maritime Chamber of Commerce (IMEAK). Until 110 sculptures They cover five different themes related to the Anatolian civilization using friendly and sustainable materials. A unique journey through the history of Turkey and the Mediterranean civilization at a depth of 24 meters.