The sea holds incredible treasures reserved for those who dare to venture into its depths to discover them. There it is not only possible to find impressive coral reefs, strange creatures and the remains of sunken ships, but also interesting man-made museums that are a wonder for divers' eyes. Don't get lost then the route through the most famous underwater museums in the world.
EGYPT
The lands of Egypt that were flooded by floods and earthquakes some time ago, especially in the Delta area, keep under its waters one of the greatest architectural treasures known to archaeologists: the sunken city of Cleopatra.
Located on the shores of Abukir Bay in Alexandria, a series of earthquakes and giant waves produced by the existence of an underwater fault extended from Cairo to Sicily swallowed it between the years 320 and 1303 of our era.
It is not just any archaeological site. Alexandria was one of the great metropolises of antiquity and was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. The Crossroads of Civilizations also housed two of the great wonders of the ancient world: the Library and the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
Now, after a slumber of more than 16 centuries, the submerged city a few meters away from the current maritime shore of Alexandria re-emerges. Teams of archaeologists dive down its lonely avenues to recover the treasures that remain sunk in the port since earthquakes pushed the coastline inland.
From these funds of the eastern Mediterranean a treasure of sphinxes, obelisks, statues and columns has emerged. However, Cleopatra's palace is the jewel in the crown. An enclosure buried by the waters that was one of the most important nuclei of the Pharaonic era. To prevent this discovery from falling into oblivion, the possibility of installing an immersion system is being considered that allows visitors to be transported to the submerged wing of the palace and to move through fiberglass tunnels to take guided tours of the rooms of the famous queen.
Gradually, the submerged city begins to float and its old glory comes to light again. Everything indicates that Cleopatra's palace will become Egypt's new tourist mecca along with the famous pyramids.
MEXICO
At the other end of the world is located the contemporary underwater museum MUSA (Underwater Museum of Art) in the waters surrounding Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc. It was born in 2009 by the hand of Jaime González Cano (Director of the National Marine Park) Roberto Díaz Abraham (President of Asociados Náuticos de Cancún) and Jason deCaires Taylor, a British artist. Now this place is one of the greatest underwater attractions in the world, with more than 500 permanent life-size sculptures.
This underwater museum aims to demonstrate the interaction between the art and science of environmental conservation as well as favoring the colonization of marine life to recover natural reefs.
The presentation is divided into two galleries called Salón Manchones and Salón Nizuc. The first is eight meters deep, suitable for both divers and swimmers and the second is four meters deep, only suitable for snorkeling.
GRANADA ISLAND
The artist Jason deCaires Taylor is not a beginner in this type of project since years before he participated in the creation of the First Underwater Sculpture Park on the island of Granada. Here we find the work 'Viscitudes' (which represents a group of children of different ethnicities holding hands and forming a circle), 'Un-Still Life II', 'Inverted Solitude' and 'Alluvia', a composition made up of two female figures who have become the mermaids of the Canterbury River, in the United Kingdom.
SPAIN
The Island Lanzarote will host the first underwater museum in Europeby British eco-sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor. The Museo Atlántico Lanzarote will be located on the southwest coast of the island, in a space close to Las Coloradas in the municipality of Yaiza, which meets the best conditions for its installation as it is sheltered from the large marine currents that affect the north coast from Lanzarote.
In addition, 2% of the income generated by this underwater museum will go to research and dissemination of the richness of the species and the seabed of Lanzarote.
ITALY
The northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea is known for the beautiful beaches that stretch from Italy to France but few know that between the waters Camogli and Portofino hides the so-called Christ of the Abyss, a bronze statue of Jesus Christ that pays tribute to Dario Gonzatti, a famous Italian diver who died in 1950 during a dive.
The sculptor Guido Galletti wanted to honor his memory with this spectacular 2 meter statue made of bronze and with his hands directed towards the surface of the sea to invite divers to prayer and peace. The Christ of the Abyss was blessed by Pope John Paul II in 2000 and it became a religious symbol much loved by fishermen, divers and tourists, who frequently came to this place to pray. In fact, on August 15 an "underwater procession" is organized to the statue for this purpose.