6 Amazing Underwater Museums of the World

1. Baia Underwater Park (Italy) 

Most people have at least once heard of Pompeii – the infamous Roman city near Naples. Yes, only a few people know about Bayeux, which was about three times larger than Pompeii. While Pompeii was covered with volcanic ash after a powerful volcanic eruption, Baia was abandoned in the 8th century and then flooded with water. Today, this amazing city can be thoroughly explored by divers and divers.   Just a few kilometers north of Naples (near the fishing town of Pozzuoli), tourists can visit the Baia Underwater Park. Once the city was a luxurious seaside resort for the rich Romans, even the capricious Emperor Caligula liked to spend idle days here from the ruler's affairs. Since Baja was considered a corner for the elite of high society, today historians call it the ancient analogue of Las Vegas or Beverly Hills. On clear and fine summer days, visitors to the park can take a trip on a glass-bottomed boat to see the ruins of an ancient civilization. There are also underwater excursions, but you will get the best impressions if you dive into the waves with scuba diving equipment. Under the guidance of a local instructor, you will be able to swim between marble sculptures and touch mosaic floors. 

 

2. Herod's Harbor (Israel) 

The reason why this corner of Israel is called Herod's Harbor is that Caesarea was built by Herod on the ruins of an ancient Phoenician city called Straton's Tower. Josephus, a Romano-Jewish scholar, described the construction of the port in the "Jewish Wars". This is a unique place for those who are interested in the history of antiquity.  The city of Caesarea in Israel has been the center of many excavations over the past half century. In 2006, on the site of ancient Caesarea (in the vicinity of the Lower Palace of King Herod the Great), the so-called "Herod's Harbor" was opened as an underwater museum dedicated to one of the largest ports of the Roman Empire, which remained active until 10 BC.  Tourists will find a fascinating promenade from exhibition to exhibition. The curious eyes of travelers will see a view of the destroyed lighthouse, the original foundations, anchors and pedestals. Along the four marked paths of the sunken harbor there are 36 different places with signs. Visitors are also given a waterproof card. One route is available for snorkeling enthusiasts, and all the others are intended for novice divers.  

 

3. Cancun Underwater Museum (Mexico) 

The amazing imagination of the museum in Cancun is called a beautiful word - MUSA, which is a short abbreviation of the full name of the institution. Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA) literally translates as "Underwater Museum of Art". And if you have been suffering from the torments of creativity for a long time, then one of the muses will definitely visit you here, because after seeing the beauties, you just want to create some kind of masterpiece - a painting or a book on a maritime theme.  This underwater museum of modern art has more than 500 permanent monumental sculptures resting in the waters surrounding Cancun (in the area of Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc).  The aim of the museum organizers is to demonstrate the interaction of art and science, as well as to create a reef structure for the colonization of marine life. All works of art are attached to the seabed and are made of special materials that will contribute to the development of corals. And this is great, because corals are not a trinket and a souvenir for tourists, but an important component in the life cycle of the inhabitants of the oceans and seas. Visitors can see the art while snorkeling and diving, or on excursions on glass-bottomed boats. An important part of the MUSA program is to divert at least some of the 750,000 divers (who arrive annually on the Yucatan Peninsula) away from natural coral reefs, which curious tourists mercilessly destroy by tearing off pieces of coral for memory. By the way, this is a court case. For such an outburst, the authorities of some states may impose an impressive fine and even prohibit them from coming to the country again. So we do not recommend destroying coral reefs.   

 

4. Atlantic Museum of Lanzarote 

The Underwater Museum of Atlantico Lanzarote (Museo Atlántico Lanzarote) was opened not so long ago – in 2016. The inspiration for its creation was the muse, or rather MUSA. Yes, yes, we are talking about the Mexican underwater museum mentioned above. This is the first modern underwater museum in Europe (real underwater cities were not taken into account). The museum's installations were created with the important mission of drawing public attention to the problems of the environment and climate change. Another significant goal in the planning of the museum was to create a new habitat for marine inhabitants. At the first opportunity, visit this ideal place for diving, where you will find an installation of 300 unusual sculptures.   

 

5. The way of shipwrecks (USA, Florida Keys) 

There are many beauties in the USA, but if you like sea holidays, then Florida will be the ideal place to travel. The stunning islands, called the Keys, will not leave you indifferent. Among the local attractions there is also an amazing underwater museum, relatively speaking, located on the shipwrecks. The once majestic sea vessels, whose captains failed to manage, now rest on the sandy bottom, giving shelter to all kinds of fish and other inhabitants of the depths. 

 

6. Crimean Underwater Museum (Crimea, Cape Tarkhankut) 

Yes, yes, you read correctly – there is an underwater museum in Crimea, too, although not even all locals have heard about it (and even more so - not everyone has visited it). The museum, called the "Alley of Leaders", has become a real "cemetery" of monuments. Looking at the faces of the rulers, frozen in stone and resting on the sandy bottom, you acutely feel how merciless time is to us people. How nature takes its toll and erases human deeds, covering them with water and sand. In general, it's very atmospheric here. It's a pity that the Black Sea fish are not as picturesque as in Florida. Otherwise, there would be no end of tourists. 

 

Even if you do not have a license for scuba diving, you will still be able to admire the beauty of these picturesque corners. Most of them can also be seen by diving underwater with a mask and snorkel or taking tours on glass-bottomed boats. Of course, first we will have to wait for the final completion of quarantines. 

 

But do not despair if you do not have the opportunity to hit the road in the near future. Footage of many underwater museums can be found on Youtube.

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