Underwater Museum Edit

The Secret Beneath Underneath the hot, glistening sun and the crashing waves of Cancun lies a hidden

Comment [JB1]: Other title possibilities: Sea Sculptures Sculpting the Sea

treasure: Jason deCaires Taylor'san underwater sculpture museum. Over 400 statues modeled after real people depict the workers, farmers, and native people who live around the surrounding reef making the pieces a true part of Cancun's vibrant life. The museum, a creation of Jason deCaires Taylor's Taylor, art provides an opportunity for scuba divers to interact with the ocean in a new way and participate in an attempts to help preserve the life and natural art of the ocean while interacting withadding even more beautiful art of a manmade kind.

Creating an Underwater Museum The project began in 2006 when the Cancun Marine Park learned about sculptures by Taylor that were submerged off the shore of Grenada that were meant to become living, breathing parts of the ocean as theyit grew coral and attracted fish to make homes in the sculptures’ crevices. The coral reefs and tropical fish that have been attracting snorkelers and scuba divers for years have been dwindling due to hurricanes and tourists. Taylor’s idea seemed like the perfect solution to revive the surrounding coral reefs of Cancun, so they contacted Taylor to propose the idea.The coral reefs and tropical fish that have been attracting snorkelers and scuba divers for years have been dwindling due to hurricanes and over population of tourists, They made the statues out of special concrete, tested to withstand the rough conditions on the ocean floor and provide a perfect breeding ground for all the underwater plant life. Now, Taylor's luming life size, humanesque statues attempt to relieve the popular reefs surrounding Cancun and Isla Mujeres inside Cancun's Marine Park by providing places for more coral to grow and attract tourists away from other reefs that need a chance to regrow and revive. The beginnings

Submerged Secrets The Art Under the Ocean Swimming with Sculptures The World Beneath the Waves The Mermaid’s Museum Underwater Wonders

The project began in 2006 when the Cancun Marine Park learned about sculptures, done by Taylor, submerged off the shore of Grenada meant to become a living breathing parts of the ocean as it grew coral and attracted fish to make homes in the sculptures crevices. This seemed like the perfect solution to aiding in reviving the surrounding coral reefs of Cancun so they contacted Taylor to propose the idea. When the planning was done, the proposed museum would have over 400 statues, made out of special concrete tested to withstand the rough conditions on the ocean floor and provide a perfect breeding ground for all the underwater plant life. Many of the statues were decided also to be sculpted from real people depicting the workers, farmers, and native people who live around the surrounding reef making the pieces a true part of Cancun's vibrant life.

Visiting Tthe Spectacle ItselfMuseum The museum can be accessed by contacting a local scuba diving company, such as aqua world, who that will take you either on a glass bottom boat ride, or transport you out to the museum just a short distance from the Machones reef to snorkel or scuba dive. Once you arrive you can dip into this secret world that exists under the water. Unlike a regular museum, the pieces can be viewed from a variety of positions. You can swim around, over, and even through some of the pieces of art, giving the viewer a more personal interaction with the pieces themselves itself. Amy Thomas from Davidson, North Carolina relates that snorkeling at the underwater museum "is totally different than swimming over a natural reef which seems to be the 'usual' scenery." Instead, she claims that but "snorkeling above the statues is very surreal, it's almost like you are seeing something you aren't supposed too."

While some museums will always have the same pieces to go back too and see, the underwater museum will always be changing as the coral grows and evolves the longer the

sculpture is in the ocean. The art can also change color depending on the time of day as the sun rises and sets. Taylor commented on the special nature of this underwater museum in an interview with USA Today saying that "The coral applies the paint. The fish supply the atmosphere. The water provides the mood."

Underneath the hot, glistening sun and the crashing waves of Cancun lies a hidden treasure: Jason deCaires Taylor's underwater sculpture museum just waiting to be explored.

Comment [JB2]: This ending seems to similar to the beginning. Can you come up with an ending that is different, but still