Here’s one for the bucket list – Europe’s first underwater gallery has just opened this month off the coast of Lanzarote. It’s pretty spectacular with its environmentally conscious themes and is also just a little bit spooky.

Museo Atlántico was designed and built by the British artist Jason deCaires Taylor who has previously created similar underwater galleries off the coasts in the Caribbean and Mexico and this new gallery lies 14m below the surface waters at the south of the island.

It took over three years to plan and construct and it features 12 installations with over 200 life size human figures, many of which have been created using casts of local residents and visitors.

Each of the installations has a different theme to provoke environmental awareness and social change.

Designed with conservation in mind, the materials used for the statues are entirely environmentally-friendly and the structures are designed to create a large-scale artificial reef that attracts marine life.









They’ve already seen an increase of over 200% in marine biomass since the first works were installed last February. These waters are now frequented by angel sharks, barracuda, octopus and marine sponges. And 2% of the profits made by Museo Atlántico will be used to protect marine life and conduct research projects related to life in the seas of Lanzarote and the Canary Islands.

Divers can depart on a tour of the gallery from Marina Rubicón port located in the south of the island.

Find out more visit: Museo Atlántico