40 Underwater Sculptures That Turn The Ocean Floor Into An Art Gallery While Helping Marine Life Thrive

Most of the underwater sculptures have their eyes closed, occasionally they awake.

Nestled in the pristine northern waters of Grenada, the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique have long been celebrated for their natural beauty and vibrant culture. Yet these islands have also become emblematic of the urgent realities of climate change—a truth devastatingly underscored in July 2024, when Hurricane Beryl, a Category 5 storm, left the islands reeling from its destructive force.

The underwater museum A World Adrift was initiated in 2023 to highlight the unique vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to rising sea levels, warming oceans, coastal erosion, and the mounting threat of extreme weather events. Tragically, the installation has now become a living testament to these themes, as the effects of climate change unfolded in real time, midway through the project.

A World Adrift showcases an evocative fleet of 30 boat sculptures, each navigated by a local schoolchild, symbolising the uncertain waters of the future. These young figures, depicted as climate refugees, are not only poignant reminders of the generational stakes of climate change but also embody resilience, hope, and defiance.

Jayme Marshall represents the next generation of Indigenous leaders. Her sculpture highlights the role Traditional Owners play in protecting the future of the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding Sea Country. Miss Marshall’s involvement in the project emphasizes how stories and traditions of the reef are passed down through generations and still hold significant weight within Indigenous culture to this day. Her form references the roots from a Mangrove and Bayan Tree.

The Listener is installed in Cancun, Mexico at 3m deep. It is made from the casts of ears from local school children. Built into the structure is an underwater microphone and hard drive which is constantly monitoring ambient noise. A team of marine biologists are downloading the data and have realized that the silent world is actually not that silent and some studies even suggest that coral polyps navigate by using sound. The work aims to engage the local community in reef conservation and present a new way to combine science and art.

The Bankers (originally titled The Politicians) were designed to provoke thought and highlight urgent environmental and societal concerns.
Six men kneel on the ocean floor, their heads buried in the sand, briefcases by their sides, and their buttocks pointing skyward.

Enveloped by red sponges and fire coral, these sculptures are fifteen years beneath the waves, slowly claimed by the sea.

Molinere Bay Underwater Sculpture Park was the first of Jason deCaires Taylor’s underwater gardens. It was widely acclaimed as the first of its kind. The site is now listed as one of National Geographic’s 25 Wonders of the World.

The 75 works cover an area of 800 square meters and are located in a series of sand patches and gullies between natural rock formations. At depths of 5-8 meters, they are accessible by scuba diving, snorkeling, and glass-bottom boats, with departures from St. Georges and Grand Anse, both a short boat ride away.

The Lost Correspondent portrays a man sitting at a desk with his typewriter. A collection of newspaper articles, dating back to the 1970s, covers the desktop, some of them reporting stories from a time in Grenada’s history before the revolution. The piece reflects on how communications are changing so rapidly.

Copper crystals, grown in a studio tank with patination.

Nest depicts a circle of 48 life-size figures off the coast of Gili Meno, a small island between Bali and Lombok in Indonesia that is famed for its crystal clear waters and turtle population.

In the hauntingly beautiful work, embracing couples encircle yet more figures curled up on the seafloor. The circular formation evokes time and continuum. The interlocking pieces connect to provide a platform for marine life to colonize and inhabit.

Forty per cent of the world’s coral reefs have been lost over the past few decades, and scientists predict more is now at risk. Nest aims to remind visitors of the many fragile treasures beneath the sea.

Museo Atlántico is the first underwater art museum in Europe and the Atlantic Ocean. It is situated within Lanzarote’s UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and is accessible to divers and snorkelers. The monumental project took over three years to plan and construct and includes over 300 life-size casts placed on an area of previously barren seabed of 50m x 50m.

Crossing the Rubicon features 35 people walking towards an underwater wall, unaware that they are heading to a point of no return. They are looking down or at their phones, in an almost dreamlike state. This is a recurrent theme in Taylor’s work – we are sleepwalking towards catastrophe, unable to take stock of our own impact on the natural world and therefore our own survival.

The Human Gyre consists of over 200 life-size human figures in an oceanic gyre. The piece embodies our naked vulnerability to the ocean’s inherent power, and our fragility in the face of its cycles and immense force. It provides the oxygen we breathe, it regulates our climate, and it provides a vital source of nutrition to millions of people.

This colony has been growing for just over 2 years.