Cancun, Mexico's underwater museum

Credit: Jason deCaires Taylor

Cancun, Mexico one of the country's most popular holiday destination is recognized for its stunning beaches and aqua blue waters. The Cancun Underwater Museum which was founded in 2009 is one of the biggest in the planet.  The underwater Museum offers divers and snorkelers an opportunity to see works of art beneath sea level and has included a visitor centre that displays replicas of the museum’s most well-known underwater artworks. According to Jason deCaires Taylor, snorkelers and divers are privileged to view 500 artworks, which include eleven new sculptures that were added earlier this month.

The museum was designed to help protect the area's natural coral reefs; artworks serve as a dwelling for fish and other underwater creatures and also attract visitors faraway from Cancun’s fragile natural coral reefs. The visitor center will highlight replicas of the facility’s most well-known underwater art forms.

Amongst the submerged artworks are several life-size human statues cast from Cancun local people. According to artist deCaires Taylor, additionally there is a VW Beetle that's particularly created so lobsters can make their home on the inside of the vehicle. Each statue is built with materials that are harmless for underwater life and promote the development of a coral reef. He also said that his most recent pieces use a type of stainless steel structure and depend on live planted corals to create the narrative and composition of the works. Underwater marine life is progressively going into the museum, providing life to “The Silent Evolution” which is his first underwater gallery. 

Having an average of 87,000 visitors yearly, Tourisim authorities say the museum is one of Cancun’s most in-demand tourist attractions, according to Jesus Almaguer, the chief executive of the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau.  He also mentioned that the addition of the visitor center will offer visitors a way to greatly enhance their diving encounter and to genuinely value the creative and environmental influence of the museum