Underwater art museum might be coming to the reef

An underwater art museum could mean big changes for the reef. Underwater artist Jason deCaires Taylor is said to be visiting the reef in July 2017 to scope out the waters off of Townsville to assess the area for a potential new canvas and underwater project. Townsville, Magnetic Island, Palm Island, and The Strand, all potential sites, are located about 3 hours away from Airlie Beach (275km).

If this project goes forward, it will be the only one of its kind in the area - in fact, the only one of its kind in the Southern hemisphere - creating a whole new type of tourism in the area. The unique project would capture both Jason deCaires Taylor's style as well as Australia's Aboriginal heritage to make an installation that reflects the sacred culture of Australia. The project would hope to enable further education about the reef and entice new types of tourists to visit the area.

Jason deCaires Taylor's previous works, which are in the waters off of Grenada and Cancun, have increased annual visitors by 400,000. If this stays in true form, there is potential for an increase in tourism and revenue to the Great Barrier Reef. The artist's first underwater art museum in Grenada was installed in 2006 and has since been listed by National Geographic as one of the Top 25 Wonders of the World.