MUSA Underwater Museum is a Non-Profit Organization bases in the beautiful oceans of Cancun and it is totally devoted to the Art of Conservation.
The Museum has a total of exactly 510 statues up to today and there are three different galleries submerged.
There’s a series of sculptures made by talented Jason deCaires Taylor and five more sculptors. This museum was thought up by the Marine Park Director Jaime Gonzalez with help from Jason.
Near the beginning of 2008, both Jaime and Jason began with the plans for MUSA Underwater Museum, which was meant to be bent and shaped by nature into a living coral reef.
The Director of the National Park Costa Occidental Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancun and Punta Nizuc, noticed a lot of human-caused damage to the coral reefs, were diving and boat anchors were the biggest problem.
The world’s second largest coral reef, the Mesoamerican reef, was becoming very damaged because of the abuse and carelessness of our behaviour in these waters.
This was the perfect trigger to launch the project. Millions of people come to Cancun every year to swim, dive and snorkel in the natural reefs. So MUSA Underwater Museum was set into motion. It was time to help the damaged reefs and still have visitors enjoy the wonder behind diving and snorkeling in Cancun.
The idea was proposed to Mr. Roberto Díaz who was then, president of the Cancun Nautical Association, that snorkelers and divers would be taken to an area where concrete reefs adorned by corals so they could start appreciating this natural wonder.
Later then, Dr. Gonzalez began his research on how to build an artificial reef and that’s when he met British Sculpture artist Jason deCaires, who was at that time working on a sculpture for the Canary Islands. The statue had the purpose of attracting both plant and sea life to it.
The Nautical Association President, Mr. Roberto Díaz, agreed with the plan and he met with the rest of the team to create MUSA Underwater Museum.
Jason deCaires was hired to do the initial sculptures along with a few more Mexican sculptors, and thus the adventure to create this beauty began.
5 years later, MUSA foundation had six artists placed at the bottom of the ocean and by the end of 2013 over 490 statues were found at this museum.
The manchones reef gathers a total of 477 statues while te rest are found in Punta Nizuc. There’s some replicas at Kukulcan Mall in the Hotel Zone.
DIVING IN CANCUN MUSA UNDERWATER MUSEUM
Take it from us, this diving experience is unlike any other! It’s beyond wonderful. If you wish to truly understand what we mean when we talk about MUSA Underwater Museum, you have to experience it on your own.
Strap on one of our tanks and take a MUSA dive! You’ll first visit the main part, which is known as the Silent Evolution. You’ll love it there.
This area has 450 statues placed in such a way that the area is protected from weather conditions. The statues here had only two things in mind – conserving the existence of the natural reefs of Cancun and providing a new home for corals and sea life.
Collaterally, this created a haven for divers and snorkelers alike! It became much more interesting, so you really won’t want to miss this experience.
Grab the next plane to Cancun, give us a call and make sure your GoPro or underwater camera is charged cause we’re about to take you on a journey. The perfect blend between Nature and Art lives under our Caribbean waters, a baffling quest to the unforgettable.
Source: The Riviera Maya Times
