Turkey now has a bizarre new dive site: an A300 jumbo jet, which was sunk (intentionally) off its south-west coast this week. It’s hoped that the plane will encourage marine biodiversity, attract visitors to the area, and give Turkey’s tourism industry a much-needed boost. “We expect some 250,000 domestic and foreign tourists per year to come here for diving,” said the Mayor of Kuşadası when the jet was sunk into the Aegean Sea.

But Turkey isn’t the only place hoping to draw in divers with its bizarre underwater attractions. These are a few of the strangest dive sites around the world.

Not just to look at but designed to regrow the #REEF lost to storms



Underwater Sculpture, Molinere Bay, #GRENADA pic.twitter.com/QYWo6MLkU0 — Pamela Sutherland (@Ltd_To_Two) May 7, 2014

Sculptures in Grenada

Divers and snorkellers on the west coast of Grenada can swim between underwater sculptures in Molinere Bay. Just a 10-minute boat ride from Grand Anse – the island’s most famous beach – the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park is the passion project of British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, who decided to sink his concrete creations to create an artificial reef.

The figures include a statue of Jesus, a woman emerging from a giant nutmeg, and a ring of figures holding hands on the sea bed. The effect is eerie and oddly emotional: it’s hard not to feel sympathy for the figures trapped forever at the bottom of the ocean.

Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands #world #travel #beautiful #earth #amazing #fantastic #planewreck A photo posted by Silver Nuts (@silvernutsgram) on May 22, 2016 at 2:21pm PDT

Live ammunition in the Marshall Islands

Located roughly halfway between Australia and Hawaii, the Marshall Islands are nothing short of spectacular: think white sand beaches that lead to crystal-clear waters where corals and tropical fish thrive. But it wasn’t always so idyllic. During WWII this was one of the most important strategic bases for the Japanese military, and while most WWII evidence has disappeared from the islands, the waters that surround them tell a different story.

You’ll find sunken war planes, cargo, cars and boats inside the atolls’ picturesque bays, most notably off the coast of Kwajalein. The dive site opened to the public in 2006, but be warned: some of the wrecks include live ammunition, and should only be visited with a guide.

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Aircraft in Turkey

Turkey is no stranger to sinking planes to make weird and wonderful dive sites: head to the resort town of Kas to explore an underwater Dakota DC3 passenger plane that’s been sitting on the sea bed since 2009. It’s fully intact, and looks ready for its next take-off. You can swim into the cabin and even venture into the cockpit, where fish have made their homes between levers and dials.

Plane wreck diving ✈️ #kas #diving #planewreck #turkey #morefhs #fhsliv #ekstremsportklassen A photo posted by Ketil Billett (@ketilbillett) on Oct 16, 2015 at 9:52am PDT

Ancient wonders in China

Quiandao Lake, a vast expanse of sapphire-blue water, boasts over 1,000 forest-topped islands – but it hasn’t always been so. The lake was formed in 1959, when the valley was flooded to create a reservoir and hydroelectric power station. When the waters flowed in, they also flooded Shi Cheng (Lion City), a 1,400-year-old settlement thought to be the size of 60 football fields.

Underwater: The Lion City, submerged at a depth of nearly 30 meters in the Qiandao Lake, China. #travel pic.twitter.com/Sd2IFHwrSE — The Culture Trip (@CultureTrip) April 6, 2016

Only a handful of dive operators run trips to the region, and visibility can be volatile. But if you’re patient (and well practiced), you’ll be rewarded with up-close encounters with some of China’s most fascinating ancient treasures – including ornate carvings, towering archways and incredible sculptures of lions and dragons.

Tectonic plates in Iceland

The key to Iceland’s burbling hot springs, powerful geysers and lively volcanoes lies in its volatile geographic location: it straddles the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Sure, you can stroll along the dividing ridge through Þingvellir National Park, but why walk when you can dive it?

Strap on your scuba gear in Lake Þingvallavatn to descend between what is, essentially, the gap between two continents – with visibility up to 200 metres and some very spooky drop-offs and rock formations to gawp at too. You’ll need an Open Water qualification to dive, but anybody can join the guided snorkelling trips.

A photo posted by Robert Eldrim (@roberteldrim) on Jun 3, 2016 at 2:26am PDT

Memorials in the US

Visit the world’s only underwater cemetery off the coast of Miama, Florida – a burial ground (of sorts) that has been transformed into a thriving coral garden. At the Neptune Memorial Reef, the cremated remains of marine lovers are mixed with non-porous cement, and then modelled into a memorial stone of their choosing. The shapes are then assigned a space on the reef, and the deceased’s relatives can dive down to their loved one’s resting place. When finished, the cemetery will hold the remains of 100,000 people, and according to the website will be “an artistic representation of the Lost City of Atlantis”.

Want to have your ashes buried under water? Well you can at the Neptune Memorial Reef, Key Biscayne, in Florida. pic.twitter.com/jdMUKxicIq — Daniel de Lorne (@danieldelorne) March 18, 2015

An abandoned village in Norway

An entire village is submerged beneath the glassy surface of Lake Lygnstøylsvatnet in south-west Norway, preserved for over 100 years in crystal-clear icy water. In 1908 a landslide blocked the flow of the Lygna River, causing the valley to flood and the villagers to flee to dry ground. Algae and marine plants cling to a patch of dead tree trunks, dubbed the Troll Forest for its spindly branches and fields of fluffy green turf.

Locals in Mexico

It's Jason deCaires Taylor again. Not content with crafting Grenada’s underwater sculpture park (see above), he has also created sculptures for the coastlines of Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancun and Punta Nizuc. It is hoped that the artworks will lure tourists away from fragile coral reefs, and encourage marine biodiversity in a region blighted by pollution. Taylor based his creations on real people and scenes: among the folks at the bottom of the ocean you’ll find Lucky the carpenter, Sarah the linguistics professor and Charlie Brown the fisherman.