[imagesource: Matt Curnock / MOUA]

When South Africa went into lockdown all those years ago (months, but wow, they have dragged on), Tiger King was the talk of the town.

Now, after six months of various alert levels, the world is talking about a certain octopus just off our coast.

You know you’ve made it when your doccie gets an excellent parody video involving a Kreepy Krauly and one too many Speedos.

The long-winded, rambling point I’m trying to make is that there is great beauty to be found underwater, and that’s also true for those who make it around 80 kilometres off the coast of Townsville, in northern Queensland.

British artist Jason deCaires Taylor is responsible for the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) exhibition, installed amongst the Great Barrier Reef, at a depth of around 50 feet.

Below via Robb Report:

…Coral Greenhouse at John Brewer Reef is the first of four MOUA installations. Spanning 235 square feet, the skeletal building contains 25 concrete life-sized inhabitants anchored to the seafloor, all molded from real people and seemingly frozen in time…

The greenhouse is constructed out of stainless steel and pH-neutral materials to complement natural coral growth, and visitors are encouraged to don a scuba tank or snorkel and swim through the installation, accessed by three separate entrances, to view the artwork up close…

Image: MOUA

The second sculpture, the Ocean Siren, was installed alongside North Queensland’s Strand Jetty in Townsville in December 2019. It changes color in response to live water temperature data from the Davies Reef weather station on the Great Barrier Reef.

The Ocean Siren will be completed next year.

Stage three of the project will see sculptures on Palm Island and Magnetic Island.

Pop on your scuba gear, and here’s what a paddle around John Brewer Reef looks like:

The non-profit museum aims to raise money that can be used for ocean research and conservation.

[source:robbreport]