Updated July 27th, 2019 at 22:23 IST

Underwater Museum: Great Barrier Reef to open its 'Museum of Underwater Art' in December, with sculptures on the seabed for divers

While many have 'scuba diving in the Great Barrier reef' to view its pristine collection of corals in their bucket list, yet another reason to visit the underwater haven is soon cropping up

World News
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While many have 'scuba diving in the Great Barrier reef' to view its pristine collection of corals in their bucket list, yet another reason to visit the underwater haven is soon cropping up.

According to international news reports, an underwater museum named - Museum of Underwater Art(MOUA) will open to the public in the Great Barrier Reef , this December, featuring a huge collection of sculptures on the seabed which divers can admire as they swim along the Museum route.

MOUA's proposed sites are primarily within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, near the coast of Townsville, Australia’s global center for Marine Science, according to the museum's official website.

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Who is designing MOUA and why?

British Sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor has been chosen as MOUA's principal designer. According to MOUA's website, the sculptor is the creator of the world’s first underwater sculpture park – the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park and Museum in Grenada.

MOUA aims to lift the pressure off natural reefs which have been over-fished and over-visited over the past few decades with underwater installations, giving the coral reef an opportunity to replenish and repair.

What are the main installations?

An underwater 'coral greenhouse' serving as a coral nursery is set to be developed to attract marine life in the area, according to MOUA.

While many installations have been planned, the biggest tourist attraction is touted to be the "Ocean Siren" - a five-meter high sculpture which will sit on the surface of the water and change colour according to the temperature of the Great Barrier Reef.

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Here are pictures some of the planned installations, shared by MOUA:

Twitter is already questioning MOUA's aims:

Is his vision, “let’s build a structure that cannot attract coral because of the CO2 we release into the air, that enters our oceans and turns it acidic and increases its temperature, thus killing off reefs?”

How does a statute fix that?

Inquiring minds want to know.
— Jeremy Roberts (@JeremyBRoberts)

'More than two million people visit the Great Barrier Reef each year. The aim is for the new museum to be educationally relevant to scientists, locals and tourists.'

Erect signs instead: 'Travel hastens the GBR's death'.
Cheaper.
— Shane White (@ShaneWhiteEng)

Published July 27th, 2019 at 22:05 IST