A magical and eerie sunken museum opened off the coast of Cyprus. Take a look inside the underwater art exhibit.

Monica HumphriesAug 24, 2021, 17:03 IST

A snorkeler floats above the underwater sculptures in Cyprus.MUSAN/Costas Constantinou

An underwater art museum with 93 sunken sculptures off the coast of Cyprus opened in July.
Designed by Jason deCaires Taylor, the museum explores the relationship between people and nature.
Snorkelers and divers can explore the magical underwater museum.

Off the coast of Pernera beach in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, there's a sunken forest that only divers, snorkelers, and the aquatic animals living in the waters can access.

A snorkeler swims through the sunken forest. MUSAN/Costas Constantinou

The 93 statues are part of the Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa, which explores the relationship between people and nature.

A map of the 93 submerged sculptures. MUSAN/JasondeCairesTaylor

From whimsical trees to playful children, the work is artist Jason deCaires Taylor's latest creation. The museum, which opened in July, references everything from the ongoing climate crisis to habitat loss.

Artist Jason deCaires Taylor stands behind one of his sculptures. MUSAN/JasondeCairesTaylor

From whimsical trees to playful children, the work is artist Jason deCaires Taylor's latest creation. The museum, which opened in July, references everything from the ongoing climate crisis to habitat loss.

"I'm kind of hoping that it leaves the visitor with a sense of hope along with a sense that the human impact isn't always negative. That we can reverse some of the things we've done," Taylor told CNN Travel.

The 93 sculptures range in subject matter. MUSAN/JasondeCairesTaylor

"I'm kind of hoping that it leaves the visitor with a sense of hope along with a sense that the human impact isn't always negative. That we can reverse some of the things we've done," Taylor told CNN Travel.

But the sunken statues are more than art. Eventually, animals, corals, and aquatic plants will make the sculptures - which are pH-neutral, meaning they don't negatively impact the surrounding environment - part of their habitat.

The submerged sculptures. MUSAN/JasondeCairesTaylor

But the sunken statues are more than art. Eventually, animals, corals, and aquatic plants will make the sculptures - which are pH-neutral, meaning they don't negatively impact the surrounding environment - part of their habitat.

Taylor told EuroNews that the sculptures serve a "twofold purpose," because they're not only works of art, but they also act as "artificial reefs."

A diver explored the sculptures, which sit on the ocean's floor and float up to the water's surface. MUSAN/Costas Constantinou

The museum cost $1.1 million to build, and the statues which weigh up to 13 tons, were placed on the ocean floor with a crane.

A crane lowers a museum sculpture into the water. MUSAN/Costas Constantinou

Museum visitors can access the art from the shores of Pernera beach, which was once a barren stretch of sand.

Visitors can access the underwater museum from Pernera Beach in Cyprus. MUSAN/JasondeCairesTaylor

Visitors swim through the forest of statues, which stretch more than 550 feet across the ocean floor and reach a depth of 33 feet, according to Scuba Diving.

Scuba divers and snorkelers can roam throughout the once-barren area. MUSAN/Costas Constantinou

They might spot sculptures of children playing hide and seek - a reminder that the natural world is a place to be explored.

Statues of children playing. MUSAN/JasondeCairesTaylor

As they reach deeper depths, people can spot statues sitting on the bottom of the ocean floor and floating all the way to the water's surface.

A crane lowers a sculpture onto the floor of the ocean. MUSAN/JasondeCairesTaylor

The immersive experience is a new way to explore and reflect on the importance of the underwater world.

A snorkeler floats above the underwater sculptures in Cyprus. MUSAN/Costas Constantinou

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A magical and eerie sunken museum opened off the coast of Cyprus. Take a look inside the underwater art exhibit.

Off the coast of Pernera beach in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, there's a sunken forest that only divers, snorkelers, and the aquatic animals living in the waters can access.

The 93 statues are part of the Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa, which explores the relationship between people and nature.

From whimsical trees to playful children, the work is artist Jason deCaires Taylor's latest creation. The museum, which opened in July, references everything from the ongoing climate crisis to habitat loss.

"I'm kind of hoping that it leaves the visitor with a sense of hope along with a sense that the human impact isn't always negative. That we can reverse some of the things we've done," Taylor told CNN Travel.

But the sunken statues are more than art. Eventually, animals, corals, and aquatic plants will make the sculptures - which are pH-neutral, meaning they don't negatively impact the surrounding environment - part of their habitat.

Taylor told EuroNews that the sculptures serve a "twofold purpose," because they're not only works of art, but they also act as "artificial reefs."

The museum cost $1.1 million to build, and the statues which weigh up to 13 tons, were placed on the ocean floor with a crane.

Museum visitors can access the art from the shores of Pernera beach, which was once a barren stretch of sand.

Visitors swim through the forest of statues, which stretch more than 550 feet across the ocean floor and reach a depth of 33 feet, according to Scuba Diving.

They might spot sculptures of children playing hide and seek - a reminder that the natural world is a place to be explored.

As they reach deeper depths, people can spot statues sitting on the bottom of the ocean floor and floating all the way to the water's surface.

The immersive experience is a new way to explore and reflect on the importance of the underwater world.