The Next Best Vacation Experience, Before All The Crowds
Now that the holiday rush has come and gone, it’s the time to get those cheap, discounted rates on vacations. Maybe you have Spring Break on your horizon, or maybe you’re just considering taking a well earned normal break in the next few months. Regardless, you’ll want to do something that you can show off to all your friends with, right? Well what’s more intense than an underwater museum?
It may not be an entire building submerged underwater, but the concept of an underwater museum is still pretty amazing. From the average swimmer to the experienced diver, some incredible aquatic scenes are available for anyone who is willing to make time to visit them. Just beneath the surface of the water are unique statues that serve as man-made reefs while showcasing the work of the respective artist. While natural reefs have been dying off, these concrete and rebar reefs are made to stand the test of time and give the wildlife a new home thrive in.
One of the most popular and well organized underwater museums is “Museo Subacuático de Arte”, or MUSA, in the popular city of Cancun, Mexico. Opened in 2009, MUSA has accumulated over 500 sculptures designed by six different artists, namely Jason deCaires Taylor who is known for the work he has produced for multiple underwater museums. One of the unique abilities of MUSA is its potential to demonstrate the relationship between the art and the ocean as another element of the sculpture. The interaction with the wildlife produces a truly unique appearance by covering the artwork in coral and algae, as well as visiting fauna. If you want to visit MUSA, it’s three galleries are located a little over a kilometer off the shore of Isla Mujeres, an island set away from the busy beaches of Cancun. This may be a bit of a trip for some, but is in order to try and alleviate the stress put on the ecosystem from the high volume of tourists along the coast.
Moving across the ocean to the Canary Island of Lanzarote, a Spanish island off the coast of Morocco, one will find Museo Atlántico. As it opened in early 2016, Jason deCaires Taylor is the sole artist creating work for the Playa Blanca dive site on the island. Compared to the three diving galleries of MUSA, Museo Atlántico is relatively small with just a handful of sculptures. That being said, the goal for the Spanish aquatic museum is to amass over 300 sculptures with multiple installations available to be visited.
When I think museum, though, I tend to think of artifacts and old treasures that have been preserved through the ages. This being said, I want to include Five Fathoms National Marine Park in Tobermory, Ontario to the list. The small community of only 1500 people is considered to be the most popular fresh water diving destinations in the world due to the 26 notable dive sites, 18 of which being sunken shipwrecks of varying sizes. The dive sites vary from a maximum depth of only 20ft to well over 100ft, available for anyone from the average snorkeler to the advanced scuba diver. The waters may not be crystal clear like in Cancun or Playa Blanca, but they offer a perfect atmosphere to explore the sunken schooners and steamers.
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