In recent months, British sculptor Jason de Caires Taylor and several collaborating artists installed additional statues in the Punta Nizuc gallery of the Cancun Underwater Sculpture Museum, bringing the total to 500.
Many of the older statues in the museum are already being colonized by sponges, corals and other marine creatures and have become a refuge for young fish, which is an encouraging sign as one of the reasons for creating the museum was to alleviate some of the pressure on local reefs and allow corals and fish populations to recuperate.
In other news, the Museum now has an exhibition space on dry land for visitors who wish to learn about the museum, the largest of its kind in the world, without getting wet. Located in Kukulcán Plaza, the gallery features life-size replicas of some of the statues, displays showing how the sculptures are created and maps showing the location of the underwater galleries at Manchones Reef and Punta Nizuc.
Snorkeling and diving trips to the Underwater Museum are available through Thomas More Travel.
