The crystal clear waters and abundant marine life found in the sea around Lanzarote have always made the island a real magnet for scuba divers. But with the impending opening of the Museo Atlantico next year diving holidays are set to really take off in and around the resort, which should spell positive news for local businesses, especially the local scuba schools.
Indeed some local dive shops are already exploring in and around the site of the new Museo Atlantico, which has been created by the British environmental artists Jason deCaires Taylor at a cost of some £500,000, giving tourists the chance to get up close and personal with the statues that have been submerged to date.
Interestingly, the statues are all modeled on real life subjects, including actual residents of Playa Blanca, such as 11 year old British born Charles Cooper, whose parents emigrated from Bolton to Lanzarote in 2006. Charles underwent a two hour sitting which involved his whole body being cast in plaster before being transformed into the final cement statue, one of 300 which will adorn the sea floor.
The project also carries a strong environmental message, as deCaires’ figures are made from ph neutral materials, which over time helps to promote the growth of coral and ultimately the creation of new reefs, so also helping to highlight their destruction elsewhere around the world.
deCaires has pioneered similar projects around the world’s oceans to great acclaim, including the planet’s first underwater sculpture park in the Caribbean, now widely regarded as one of the wonders of the modern world by leading authorities such as National Geographic. Before moving on to his arguably even more famous project, the Museo SubAquatico de Arte off the coast of Cancun in Mexico, which has proved a massive tourist draw.
So it’s very much hoped that his latest work right here on Lanzarote will also earn similar acclaim and plaudits, in a spirit very much in keeping with the environmentally aware work of the island’s favourite son Cesar Manrique, who would hopefully approve of this inventive marriage of art and nature.
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