The works at the museum, located in the resort town of Ayia Napa, range from botanical to figurative, including more than 90 sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor, a British artist known for his site-specific creations that turn into artificial coral reefs.
With more than 1,000 sculptures installed around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef, deCaires Taylor specifically works with a type of cement that enables coral growth.
The new landmark is part of a vision to make Ayia napa the best and most cosmopolitan tourist resort in the Mediterranean.
“By creating the Ayia Napa Underwater Sculpture Park, Cyprus has been placed dynamically on the map of the world diving tourism,” Karousos said.
The underwater museum is expected to attract annually over 50,000 tourists from all over the world.
Agriculture and Environment Minister Costas Kadis said Jason deCaires Taylor is an artist concerned about the repercussions of climate change, overfishing and other human interventions.
“His work creates the ideal conditions to develop marine life at all levels.
“Moreover, he has succeeded in showing that some human interventions can have beneficial repercussions to the marine environment.”
A collection of submarine figurative sculptures dispersed amongst a series of sculpted organic trees and subterranean plants will create the world’s first underwater forest.
Stretching for a total of 170 metres from the entrance to exit the museum will offer both divers and snorkelers an experience that will last an hour.
Tall organic structures will rise from the seabed to stand at over eight metres tall, creating the ideal habitat to encourage fish aggregation.
visitors can dive or snorkel Musan for free, although reservations must be made ahead of time. The surrounding area will also have diving centres and schools for visitors.
Cyprus has included diving and snorkelling tourism as part of its national tourism strategy for 2030. Its diving sites include the ancient ruins of the Amathus harbour in Limassol, as well the wreck of the MS Zenobia ferry, which sank off the coast of Larnaca in 1980.
With the arrival of Musan, Ayia Napa’s local government hopes to tap into this market for their town too. By the local government’s predictions, Musan will be able to bring in 50,000 visitors annually.
Video from the inauguration of the #AyiaNapa MUSAN Underwater Sculpture Museum, created by world-renowned artist Jason deCaires Taylor
Imagine the experience 🤿 #musanayianapa #underwaterforest #visitcyprus #lovecyprus https://t.co/Yx0BBtaADL
— Marios Karatzias (@MariosKaratzias) August 1, 2021
