World’s First Underwater Museum Is Now Open, Letting You Enjoy Art As You Dive
Image via Museum of Underwater Art
The world’s first-ever underwater museum, the Museum of Underwater Art, has opened for visitors diving along the Great Barrier Reef.
The opening exhibit, the Coral Greenhouse, is located 59 feet underwater with a 64-ton art structure created by sculptor Jason deClaires Taylor. The 40-foot skeletal construction features 20 statues that depict students researching corals. It also includes three sculptures of local flora like eucalyptus and umbrella palm.
“When we talk about reefs, we’re very much talking about what we’re leaving for younger generations,” Taylor told CNBC. “I also wanted to encourage more youth into marine science and into exploring and understanding the underwater world.”
The structures were built with corrosion-distant stainless steel that has pH-neutral cement compounds to aid coral growth.
The exhibit was ready for its opening and underwater ribbon-cutting ceremony in April, but the coronavirus pandemic had forced a postponement for to 2 August 2020.
Now, divers and snorkelers are welcome to visit the exhibit by hopping onto one of the boat tours heading to the site in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park’s John Brewer Reef, located two hours from the coast of Townsville.
[via Travel + Leisure, cover image via Museum of Underwater Art]
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