The vast oceans contain many natural wonders, but they are also home to some astounding additions made by humans. Across the world statues have been sunk into the oceans for a variety of reasons—as memorials, to offer protection to a fragile marine environment, or simply as art. Colored with algae and populated by coral, some of the statues have become tourist destinations in their own right. There are hundreds of undersea statues from Cancun to the Florida Keys that are so eerily lifelike, you’ll be mesmerized.

Amphitrite statue off Grand Cayman
In 2000, the Canadian artist Simon Morris created a 9-foot-tall bronze statue of a mermaid, named for Amphitrite, the wife of Greek god of the sea Poseidon. The 600-pound mermaid statue was sunk under 50 feet of water off the coast of Grand Cayman Island in Sunset Reef (an earlier version also exists in British Columbia). When the statue was put in place, it was lowered into the water using a crane before being towed to its resting place. To ensure the statue did not crack on its journey into the deep, three small holes were drilled into the head of the statue to allow air bubbles to escape. The statue is now a popular place for divers.

Christ Of The Abyss, A Memorial To Divers Lost At Sea
Famous Italian diver Duilio Marcante conceived the idea of placing a statue of Christ under the water near a popular dive site in San Fruttuoso, near Portofino, Italy, after his good friend and fellow diver Dario Gonzatti lost his life diving near that spot in 1947. Sculptor Guido Galletti received the commission, and created an 8-foot bronze statue of Christ with his arms outstretched. The statue was placed more than 50 feet underwater in 1954 and provides not just a memorial to those who have lost their lives at sea but also a reference point for divers in distress.

Christ of the Abyss has become a busy diving site and in 2003 the statue was removed from the ocean for refurbishment after it became corroded and lost a hand due to being hit with an anchor. It was returned to the sea in 2005. The beautiful and affecting statue has proved so popular it has been recast a number of times and copies now exist in St George, Grenada and Key Largo, Florida.

Ocean Atlas, Holding The Ocean Aloft
The largest known underwater statue is Ocean Atlas, made by sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor and placed 16 feet underwater off Nassau, the Bahamas, in 2014. The statue was designed to draw attention to the need to conserve the oceans. Ocean Atlas weighs 60 tons and depicts a girl sitting hunched over, seemingly holding up the ocean above her; the piece is inspired by the Greek legend of Atlas, the Titan who held the world aloft. DeCaires Taylor specializes in creating underwater works of art and uses special pH-neutral marine cement, which is intended to last for hundreds of years and encourages coral and seaweed to colonize it, forming an artificial reef.

Easter Island Statue, Mysterious Moai
Off the coast of Easter Island, home to the amazing carved stone Moai figures, lies an underwater statue that is not all that it seems. The 10-foot tall concrete Moai is not an original ancient statue but a modern replica. Mystery surrounds the origins of the piece—some claim it was created by modern-day residents of Easter Island and placed underwater as a tourist attraction, while others assert that it was a prop created either for a Chilean television show or for a 1994 Kevin Costner movie. Whatever the truth, the statue has become a popular dive site, especially since the lack of pollution means that the crystal clear waters give divers a great view of the submerged statue.

Guardian of the Reef statue off Grand Cayman
The Guardian of the Reef is the latest sculpture by Simon Morris created to be installed underwater to promote scuba diving tourism and environmental awareness. Divers have travelled from all over the world to see the two well known mermaids – “The Emerald Princess” in British Columbia, and “Amphitrite” in Grand Cayman, as well as the first “Guardian of the Reef”, also in Grand Cayman.

Tags: FloridaInteresting Newsunder water statuesunderwater world

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