Ever dream of going scuba diving in an exotic location like Bali or the Great Barrier Reef? Now you can take a virtual dip thanks to Google.

In advance of World Oceans Day on June 8, the Web giant, in partnership with XL Catlin Seaview Survey, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the Chagos Conservation Trust, just released new Street View imagery of more than 40 underwater locations around the world, including the American Samoa and Chagos Islands and underwater dives in Bali, the Bahamas and the Great Barrier Reef.

Google said its new imagery not only showcases the beauty of these ecosystems, but also serves as a "GPS-located digital record of these underwater and coastal environments." Over time, the images can be used as a baseline to monitor changes due to threats like storms and rising water temperatures, which are causing some reefs to bleach white.

The imagery also lets you virtually swim alongside exotic creatures, such as a sea turtle in the Solomon Islands, humpback whales in the Cook Islands, great white sharks in Australia, and a massive sunfish in Bali.

"Covering more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface, the ocean remains one of the most uncharted and undiscovered ecosystems on the planet," Jenifer Austin and Brian Sullivan of the Google Ocean Program wrote in a blog post Thursday. "Home to the majority of life on Earth, the ocean acts as its life support system, controlling everything from our weather and rainfall to the oxygen we breathe. Yet despite the ocean's vital importance, the ocean is changing at a rapid rate due to climate change, pollution, and overfishing, making it one of the most serious environmental issues we face today."

To help document the state of the ocean today and in years to come, Google has teamed up with several marine, reef, and diving organizations to map and publish even more imagery of the ocean and Earth's water systems.

Meanwhile on the mapping from, Google this week also announced plans to launch a new Street View app with 360-degree camera support for viewing and shooting so-called photo spheres. The company is also shutting down its Views community site in August, and rolling the content over to Google Maps.