The Mediterranean’s New Theme Park Is Underwater–In Pictures

Regardless of being a very difficult interval for tourism, a brand new underwater park has opened on the backside of the Mediterranean sea. On the Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa (MUSAN), guests can tour an underwater forest, a world first.

Designed by eco-artist Jason deCaires Taylor, the brand new sculpture park goals to focus on the consequences of local weather change and overfishing by creating ultimate circumstances for marine life at numerous depths. The sculptures have been designed and made with supplies that entice sea creatures, and have been positioned at completely different ranges, thereby creating an appropriate substrate for ocean life in any respect ranges.

It’s hoped that the underwater park will encourage biodiversity. The director of the Division of Fisheries and Marine Analysis, Marina Argyro, stated, “I firmly consider that Jason’s 93 artwork works will probably be a haven for a lot of sea creatures and can contribute to the event of biodiversity within the space.”

It has taken a very long time for this mission to return to fruition. Plans have been first submitted to the Municipal Council in 2014–very a lot earlier than Covid-19–and the method was began with the Division of Fisheries and Marine Analysis, in 2017 and signed in 2019. The mission value €1 million (practically $1.2 million).

The park is located simply off the coast of the resort city of Ayia Napa, in southeast Cyprus, the third largest island within the Mediterranean.

The sculptures are product of inert supplies, with impartial pH, in order to not have a detrimental environmental influence. It’s a sandy space, 200 meters from the shoreline of Ayia Napa and it’s anticipated that over time, the biodiversity of the realm will probably be enriched, due to the museum.

Guests can dive by means of the museum if they’ve certification and insurance coverage however it is usually doable to swim by means of with a masks and snorkel.