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THE MUSA UNDERWATER MUSEUM IN CANCUN: A COMPLETE GUIDE FOR SCUBA DIVING LOVERS
Plus my almost naked scuba diving accident (don’t ask, just read on) 😀
MUSA Cancun (meaning Underwater Museum of Art) is an astonishing site located in the Marine National Park between Cancun and Isla Mujeres – Mexico and if you are a scuba dive lover you can’t absolutely miss this! Before starting to tell you all about it, I’ll list the most frequently asked question about the MUSA Cancun!
HOW DEEP IS THE MUSA CANCUN UNDERWATER MUSEUM?
I took this picture from the bottom, as you can see, the surface is visible and the Museum is not very deep but still astonishingly beautiful!
The MUSA Cancun’s sculptures are sitting on a sandy floor at the bottom of the ocean and the waters are not very deep, from the bottom to the surface is around 28feet (8.5 meters).
The relatively shallow waters allow people who are not keen on scuba diving to still enjoy the experience by snorkeling at the MUSA and admiring the statues from up above. There are also bottom glass boats that run tours for people that don’t or can’t get into the water. And everything is able to clearly see the sculptures at the bottom.
Do you want to snorkel the MUSA museum instead of diving? Here is one of the tours offered for this activity if you want to book in advance: Snorkeling Experience at MUSA Cancun
HOW MANY STATUES/SCULPTURES ARE IN THE UNDERWATER MUSEUM IN CANCUN?
Cancun Underwater Museum statues: One of the beautiful pieces of art you can admire when diving at MUSA: A “Maggiolino” (as we call it in Italy) or a “beetle”, right at the bottom of the ocean. Not something you see every day! Surreal. DONT ZOOM IN, I’M NOT SCUBA DIVING NAKED, KEEP READING 😀
There are around 500 different sculptures in the 150 square meter area of the Marine Natural Park in Cancun, mostly coming from the genius of Jason DeCaires Taylor but also from other 5 Mexican sculptors, and they vary from real-life scale human figures to houses, cars like the one here above and representations of every day life’s activities.
These sculptures are scattered around the bottom of the ocean in 3 different sites (the guide will guide you through all of them) and they are placed at a depth between 3 and 6 meters underneath the sea surface.
CURIOUS INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE MUSA CANCUN
HOW MUCH IS THE UNDERWATER MUSEUM IN CANCUN (FOR DIVERS)?
HOW DID I FALL IN LOVE WITH THE MUSA CANCUN EVEN BEFORE VISITING IT?
You know those photos or videos that get stuck in your head for weeks, months or even years? Well, I have a few of them in mind and one was THIS:
These underwater sculptures at MUSA Cancun are so amazing to see!
I can’t even remember when or where I first saw this photo of the Cancun Underwater Museum but, half crept out and half fascinated, I was immediately hooked. I stumbled upon it way before I started my trip because I remember still having that annoying voice inside my head, whispering in my ear: “Don’t even bother dreaming about going in there (wherever “there” was)… because is never going to happen”.
Ah, that voice, my best & worst friend for ages, it knew nothing! A bazillions years later here I am, realizing one of my wildest dreams in Mexico In the lovely National Marine Park in Between Isla Mujeres and Cancun! A day I will never forget, for so many reasons.
-Including a funny accident of me semi-naked in front of everyone *CRINGE*..more on that below 😉
Scuba diving among the statues and the coral reef at the MUSA Underwater Museum in Cancun! The little voice in my head has been humiliated more than once, so I guess it’s time for her to shut up for good 🙂
DIVING AT THE MUSA CANCUN UNDERWATER MUSEUM: WHAT TO EXPECT
Read the photo description as I added some useful info in some of them too.
MUSA Cancun Underwater museum sculptures: It looks like I’m touching them but it is just an optical illusion. Be extra careful as you could ruin the coral reef that has regrowth in there! I’M NOT DIVING NAKED, THE STAUE IS! 😀
Whether you are a scuba diving fanatic or a beginner, I promise you, this site will remain in your memory for as long as you live. I am prone to panic attacks and even if I’ve been certified ages ago and I have a bit of experience, every time I have an immersion I feel the tension. Not this time. I was so excited to jump into the water and finally fulfill my dream that all I felt that day was joy and peace.
Before I dig a bit more into the experience itself, my emotions and …yuk, my little accident I want to give you a quick overview about what the Underwater Museum in Cancun (MUSA) is, so that you have a bit of background and once in the water you can simply enjoy the paradisiac views. Below are the most frequent questions and useful info.
1 | WHAT IS EXACTLY THE MUSA UNDERWATER MUSEUM IN CANCUN?
Many people – myself included- don’t know much about this weird Underwater Museum and think that the Statues/Sculptures were placed in there only to attract the tourists, but the reality, from how the statues were created to why they are there is a lot more fascinating!
This is the description taken from the video, it explains well why the Underwater Museum in Cancun was built:
“The Cancun Underwater Museum (MUSA) project began when Jason DeCaires Taylor, an English artist teamed up with Jaime Gonzalez, the director of the National Park and Roberto Diaz, then President of the Nautical Association for Cancun and Isla Mujeres.
Something had to be done about the damage to the local reef areas. Hurricanes, tropical storms, and mankind were taking their toll on these natural gardens.
The three experts came up with the idea of submerging life-sized statues in order to create an amazing artificial reef area where coral reef could grow and in which marine life and fish could inhabit and breed.
The museum now consists of two ‘salons’ and includes over 460 statues made by Jason and some other local artists”
2 | HOW TO GET TO THE UNDERWATER MUSEUM (MUSA) CANCUN (FROM PLAYA DEL CARMEN)?
One of my favorite screenshots from a shaky video I made with my GoPro. I didn’t want to leave, every piece of art is incredibly fascinating, like this small little house inhabited by colorful fish!
Getting to the Cancun Underwater Museum is pretty easy and straightforward. One of the most convenient places to get into a boat and reach the site is located in the “Zona Hotelera”. It is super easy to get there as it’s well connected to Cancun city center, being the place where all the fancy hotels are.
There are different times of the week when you can experience this tour and different hours as well. I went there on the 8:30-morning dive (I had to be there at 7:30 am) from Playa Del Carmen, which is around 1 hour away by bus from Cancun. I had to wake up super early but it was doable and obviously worth it.
To get there, if you are staying in Cancun Town you can either grab a taxi to the Zona Hotelera Km 15+300 in Front of Paradisus Hotel or if you feel “adventurous”, hop on one of the Colectivos, the small buses mostly used by the locals.
A word of advice when using the Collectivos in Cancun (and in Mexico in General):
The price from the Ado Bus station in Cancun is around 5/15 pesos (0,5/1 USD), have some coins ready for the driver and immediately grab whatever is “grabbable” on the bus. Trust me on this one. You really don’t want to end up sitting on the driver’s or a passenger’s lap. No kidding. I don’t know how exactly this happened to me and, honestly, I don’t want to know! Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you :D.
3 | HOW TO GET READY TO DIVE AT THE UNDERWATER MUSEUM IN CANCUN (AVOIDING SCUBA DIVING NAKED!) 😀
So (Finally)… how I ended up half-naked in front of everyone?!
Hello there! 😀 Too bad you can’t see how happy I was! #IputMyClothesOnAgain 😀 SORRY GUYS, I SWEAR THERE IS A STORY!
Whether you decide to take the 2 hours class before the actual dive or not (I recommend it if you never did it before) get ready to:
- Fill in some forms where you declare that you are in good health.
- Pay the 10$ to enter the protected marine area (it’s a bracelet that lasts for 1 month, in case you are planning on snorkeling/diving again in the area).
- Rent a swimsuit if you want.
- If you don’t want to wear a swimsuit, make sure that you either have a sturdy bikini or a spare one!
I INSIST: BRING A STURDY BIKINI AND A SPARE ONE IF YOU DON’T WANT TO END UP SCUBA DIVING NAKED, TRUST ME ON THAT 😀
FOR THE SHY, CLUMSY LADIES: WHEN IN DOUBT, WEAR A T-SHIRT, POSSIBLY NOT A WHITE ONE, HERE’S WHY 🙂
Me…(on the inside) during the accident 😀
So there I was, ready for the experience of a lifetime: I filled the forms, paid the fee and decided to rent a swimsuit as I’m usually always cold even at 30 degrees. That was until I realized that I was the only one planning on wearing it. The water is truly super warm in there, so I decided to go mermaid style. I’d be damned!
My bikini was 10 years old, I have big boobs and the scuba gear is pretty heavy when they put it on you. Mix the three… and you have the perfect recipe for disaster.
The Divemaster was impressed by my ability to perform all the right tricks during the class and decided that I would be the first one to jump. I felt like wonder woman, I stood up, all proud, while listening to the instructor starting the countdown:
“Ready to jump in, Clelia”?
” Yes!”
“Ok, Five, four, three… two….”
“OH SXXT!” (That was me inside my head, not the instructor!)
It all happened very quickly. I felt something breaking around my chest and in a split second, I saw all the people on the boat staring at me, weirdly. Another very long second goes by before I realize that the top of my damn bikini evidently couldn’t take all my excitement, (and heaviness of the boobs probably) and miserably fell apart, leaving me shamefully exposed in front of everyone. ARGGGGGH 😀
Important Disclaimer:
I never, ever go topless, I’m pathologically reserved, as this other article on how I ended up in a sex exchange Sauna can attest. To let you understand the shame I felt at that moment, pick your WORST fear and imagine it becoming reality.
Yeah even worse than having Jessica Fletcher visiting your town. If you know what I mean 😀
So now what?? I was standing there, topless, embarrassed, with all these people probably waiting for me to jump into the water like this. I quickly tried to cover the shame,ehmmm the boobs, as much as I could and with a calm voice, I asked if anyone could give me my backpack. Praise the Lord: I had brought a spare bikini. No, wait…I’m not even religious. Whatever, I was safe!
I can’t even start thinking about how I would have reacted if my bikini had failed me when I was already underwater, ending up scuba diving naked. What if I didn’t realize that I was diving “mermaid-style” until I was up on the boat again? Or even worst, would I have drowned (or maybe someone else caught by surprise seeing me like that)?!
THE INCRIMINATED BIKINI THAT FINALLY BROKE THAT DAY!
So let’s look at the bright side: Maybe these 3 seconds of total embarrassment saved my life, who knows, and after all, they are just boobs! 🙂
Anyway, all this rambling is for the shy ladies out there, I know I’m not alone in my weirdness. If you’re like me, make sure that you have a sturdy bikini, a spare one, and a black t-shirt. Oh, and be the last one to jump of course. Good luck!
4 | THE DIVING EXPERIENCE AT THE MUSA UNDERWATER MUSEUM CANCUN
Knocking on heaven’s door… even if this one was wide open.
I renamed this “The magic circle of “fire”. What an oxymoron, being at the bottom of the ocean. But it is indeed magic as it’s the first piece of underwater art you can see when you dive at the underwater museum in Cancun. Swimming through the ring is like entering the main door of one of the most spectacular museums you’ll ever see!
The real diving experience lasts around 45 minutes, I strongly suggest you take an underwater camera or a GoPro with you! Depending on the number of people, you will have a divemaster with you at all times, and the dive is not deep at all, around 10, 15 meters max.
There are sculptures that are closer to the surface than others, which allows people who are afraid or can’t dive to snorkel and free dive.
MY OPINION ON DIVING AT THE CANCUN UNDERWATER MUSEUM
As far as my emotions and sensations were concerned, It’s super difficult to describe the peace the serenity and joy that being in the water, my natural element, brings me but keep reading to have an idea.
“This is what Paradise must look like”…Underwater statues in the open water at the MUSA Museum in Cancun. My favorite photo.
The following is an extract of a chat I had with a friend immediately after the experience, I took notes as I didn’t want to lose these precious words:
“And when I was at the bottom of the ocean, I felt like I truly belonged in there, the sea is the only place where nothing else matters, I am present in the moment, I feel alive, with no worries, no anxiety or problems following me. Nothing but peace in its purest form.
Feeling your heart beating slowly with every breath you take, your fluid, slow movements to observe, in awe, the fish and the colorful marine life using the underwater sculptures as their homes and sanctuaries, is unbelievably fascinating to me.
You should have seen the rays of light, softly touching the statues. I couldn’t resist and I started swimming on my back so that I could look up at the surface and, at that moment, I remember thinking “This is what paradise Must look like”
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO THE CANCUN UNDERWATER MUSEUM OR YOU WANTED TO GO? LEAVE ME YOUR COMMENTS BELOW, AND REMEMBER:
EXPERIENCES LAST A LIFETIME! <3
Comments
I saw the underwater museum for the first time. I don’t know this place. before. Like in fairy tales !
Love the post. My husband and I run a diving center in Cyprus. We want to offer something more than diving to our existing customers. Anyone have any ideas? It can’t be coffee.
Hey Jubilee, thanks for your comment! I haven’t been to Cyprus so I can’t give you any specific advice but you might find an area where to take your divers to see a specific species, coral or something unique? For us, scuba diving lovers even the attention of the staff (including a coffee or fresh fruit or being environmentally friendly) is more than enough. The MUSA Cancun Underwater Museum is one of a kind so it’s clearly an attraction for itself even for non-scuba divers so I’d go for excellent service and if you can find something unique to show your client it would be a bonus 🙂 Good luck with your business!
What an awesome dive would love to dive here if/when we get around to visiting Mexico…. along with the cenotes!
Thanks for your comment Kerry! Yes it was out of this world, one of the best dives ever! I still haven’t tried on a Cenote. I visited a few of them and they are also spectacular but the water is quite cold compared to the sea, that’s why I’m still waiting the right moment 😉
its amazing blog having beautifull pictures
Thank you! 🙂
These photos are absolutely incredible!! Not only are the scenes stunning but the quality
Thanks a lot Guru!
Traveling is always a good thing in life, it fill your souls. I think the idea of gifting your loved ones with experiences is very smart indeed!
Very true!
My ears are pretty sensitive, but this makes me want to try this out … glad you finally got to do this!
You have to train in a swimming pool first (so you know how to compensate and see if you truly have ear issues), other than that…it is fabulous!! 🙂
Nice dive! You should also consider a dive with tiger sharks during reproduction season at the end of the year! Many great options to snorquel around: Puerto Morelos, Xpu Ha, Tulum, Sian Ka’an (my favourite!).
Mexico being a megabiodiversity country (almost 12% of today’s known species) there is always something to spot outhere!
Ecotourism and low impact activities, that’s what we try to do around!
Thaks for the tip Tom! I will definitely look into it, everything that is water related with low impact on the environment is MY thing!
That is super amazing experience! I remember myself snorkeling in Israel and I was super excited, can imagine how this one feels. And those accidents happen to everyone, never mind:) After all, it only makes the whole day even more memorable:))
Kseniia
Indeed it was one of the most incredible experiences ever! Never been to Israel, should be on my list if you say it’s great for snorkeling!
No, I have never experienced underwater museum but I would l would love to have. The way you describe your underwater museum experience is fantastic. I felt like I am watching you while you experiencing each and everything. I still can’t believe how the illusion of sculptures has been made underwater. I had a fun while reading your blog itself, can’t imagine how much fun you would have.
Thank you! I’m glad I was able to express with words this magic experience 🙂
What an amazing experience! I am intrigued by the idea of buying one for my boyfriend for Valentine’s day 😉 Thanks for sharing it!!
Great thought Amanda!! I’m sure your Boyfriend will love it!
Hahaha what a great story. I’ve had one or two embarrassing experiences while travelling as well, including the time I got violent diarrhoea whilst trekking in Machu Picchu, where there were NO toilets what so ever. Great share 🙂
Oh My God Crystal! Your story beats mine hands down 🙂 Sounds like a nightmare!!
Keep calm n keep exploring
I most certainly will 🙂
Hi Clelia, That underwater museum photo was beautiful but I would have been terrified swimming between those statues. But who has time to get scared after reading your “unforgettable” moment? 🙂 Nice post. That was a great read!
Thanks John! Why would you been terrified? I get it might be a little creepy for someone but when you’re there it’s actually truly fascinating!
Well done Cle! Or should I say mermaid. …. 🙂
Both of them work 🙂 It’s been an experience worth waiting for!
This is one of those “funny if it’s not you” stories!
Indeed! But who cares about it when I had such a great time otherwise!