Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishIf these pictures don’t prompt you to book a scuba diving lesson – nothing will. Shrimp-ly amazing. Looking to make a splash on your next holiday? MailOnline Travel has rounded up some of the globe’s most sand-sational underwater attractions. And they’re o-fish-aly worth adding to your bucket list. While you’ll need your diving gear to explore some of these fin-tastic spots, others can be admired from a glass-bottom boat or with a snorkel. From a shipwreck that’s become a ‘haven for marine life’ to a museum with 500 sculptures, discover the attractions that lie below the surface… This stunning image is of the Christ of the Abyss, a bronze sculpture 17m/55ft below the surface of the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of San Fruttuoso, between Camogli and Portofino on the Italian Riviera. YachtCharterFleet explains: ‘The 2.5m/8.2ft high statue depicts Christ, arms outstretched in a gesture of blessing and gazing upwards. It was installed on the initiative of diver Duilio Marcante as a memorial to his friend and fellow diver Dario Gonzatti, an Italian scuba pioneer who tragically died near the spot in 1947’ Pictured is a sunken helicopter at the Underwater Military Museum in Aqaba, Jordan. The helicopter is just one of 21 ‘unique battle items’ at the exhibit, with other objects including tanks, an ambulance, a military crane, a troop carrier, an anti-aircraft and guns, according to the Coral Garden Dive Centre. The diving expert company adds: ‘The military machines were placed along the coral reefs. They imitate a battle tactical formation’ SHRIMP-LY AMAZING: The above motorbike is part of the SS Thistlegorm underwater wreckage, off the coast of El Tor, Egypt. The SS Thistlegorm was a British military ship that sunk during World War II, and is now described as ‘one of the top five wreck dives in the world’ by Lonely Planet. The travel guide adds: ‘The ship had been on its way to Alexandria carrying supplies to restock the British army there; its cargo of armaments and vehicles, including Bren gun carriers, motorbikes, Bedford trucks and jeeps, can all be seen on dives within the wreck’ The Cancun Underwater Museum, off the Mexican coast, consists of around 500 submerged sculptures, including the one pictured. According to Lonely Planet, the underwater attraction was created to ‘divert visitors away from fragile coral reef formations’ and can be seen by diving or glass-bottom boat Off the coast of Ayia Napa, Cyprus, 200m (656ft) away from the shore, you’ll find the Museum of Underwater Sculpture, containing 93 sculptures, including the one pictured. The artworks were created to act as a home for marine life. Time Out explains: ‘Grey children are frozen mid-play in the forest, and some are seen pointing cameras at the human race as a critique of the way the world currently tends to treat nature’ Pictured is one of three sunken sailboats at the Bridge dive site, near the Dutch entrance of Simpson Bay Lagoon, off the coast of the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten. St Maarten Dive says that ‘reef sharks, moray eels, lobsters and stingrays are often seen here’ Lying six metres/19ft below the surface of Canada’s Big Tub Harbour, in the Fathom Five National Marine Park, Ontario, Canada, is the Sweepstakes ship wreckage (pictured), having sunk there in September 1885. Blue Heron Cruises explains: ‘Although deteriorating a little more each year, the Sweepstakes is one of the best preserved nineteenth-century Great Lakes schooners to be found’ Above is one of 300 life-sized sculptures at Lanzarote’s Underwater Museum, 12m/39ft below the surface off the coast of Playa Blanca. Talking about the Spanish exhibition, Dive College Lanzarote says: ‘As you navigate through the different sections, you’ll encounter sculptures depicting refugees in boats, people taking selfies, and other poignant representations of modern society’ Pictured is the MS Zenobia wreckage, under the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Larnaca, Cyprus. MS Zenobia was a Swedish-built Challenger-class ferry that sank here in 1980, carrying more than 100 vehicles and lorries. The dive experts at Padi say it has now ‘become a haven for a range of fantastic marine life’ and is considered one of the world’s top 10 wreck dives Pictured is one of more than 60 World War II wrecks found at Chuuk Lagoon, part of the Federated States of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean. Blue Water Dive Travel says Chuuk is ‘easily’ one of the world’s best wreck diving destinations The ‘Nest’ sculpture (pictured above) is located off the coast of Gili Meno, an island in Indonesia. According to the architect Jason deCaires Taylor, the artwork is made up of a circle of 48 life-sized figures, while the ‘interlocking pieces connect to provide a platform for marine life to colonise and inhabit’ O-FISH-ALY WORTH A VISIT: Here we have the wreckage of USS Kittiwake, lying 17 metres/55ft below the surface in Grand Cayman, off the coast of the Cayman Islands. The USS Kittiwake was a submarine rescue vessel before it sank in 2011, but it has ‘blossomed into a beautiful and dynamic environment for marine life’ over the years, and ‘become a sought-after site for divers of every skill level’, according to Visit Cayman Islands
Keep Reading
