When we think of a museum, we usually imagine quiet halls and precious historical pieces safely kept behind glass. But some of the most spectacular museums on Earth are underground! Beneath the surface of oceans and seas around the world lie collections that even galleries could never hold: sunken cities, lost ships, ancient harbours, and haunting sculptures slowly being transformed by coral and curious fish.
Here are some of the most spectacular underwater museums around the world:
INS Cuddalore, Pondicherry, India
India's very first underwater museum is situated off the coast of Pondicherry, created from a decommissioned naval minesweeper called INS Cuddalore. The Indian Navy, the government, the National Institute of Ocean Technology, the National Centre for Coastal Research, and the NGO PondyCan collaborated to sink the roughly 60-metre vessel several kilometres offshore. Over time, marine life moves in, gradually turning the old warship into a living reef. Visitors can explore it through scuba diving and snorkelling.
Shipwreck Trail, Florida, USA
Off the Florida Keys, an island chain off the Florida coast, the Shipwreck Trail becomes no less than an open-air history book. Part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, it links a series of shipwrecks scattered across clear, shallow waters. Each can be explored through diving and snorkelling. Some are old vessels now softened by coral and patrolled by tropical fish. With a guide to each site's story, the trail is a beautiful combination of maritime heritage with a live marine ecosystem.
Baia Underwater Park, Italy
Just north of Naples lies one of the most extraordinary locations in Italy: an entire Roman town swallowed by the sea. Baia was once a glamorous seaside resort for wealthy Romans, until volcanic ground movement slowly sank it beneath the waves. Today, divers and snorkellers can glide over submerged roads, villa ruins, mosaics, and marble statues, often accompanied by instructors.
Caesarea's Ancient Harbour, Israel
At Caesarea on Israel's Mediterranean coast lie the submerged remains of a huge and beautiful harbour built more than 2,000 years ago by Herod the Great. Just below the surface, marked diving trails lead past a trove of antiquities that include old anchors, marble columns, and the scattered remains of ancient shipwrecks resting on the seabed. Divers follow signposted routes through this open-water archaeological park, exploring one of the great engineering marvels of the ancient world.
Museum of Underwater Art, Australia
Off Townsville on the Great Barrier Reef sits the Southern Hemisphere's only underwater art museum. Created by British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, among the most interesting features is the Ocean Siren, a glowing sculpture that changes colour with the water's temperature, and the record-breaking Coral Greenhouse on John Brewer Reef. Divers and snorkellers can explore this while marine life slowly, beautifully makes them their own.
