Visitors to the Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa (MUSAN) will have a marine experience like no other. The submerged sculpture park, which has opened in Cyprus, offers diving or snorkeling visitors the opportunity to tour an underwater forest and 93 works of art by sculptor, environmentalist and underwater photographer Jason deCaires Taylor.

The sculptures have been designed and made with materials that attract and enhance sea life, and are placed at different depths, creating a suitable substrate at all levels. Described as “a water journey into the relationship between man and nature”, MUSAN was created by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, Ayia Napa municipality and the Ministry of Tourism.

Christos Zannettou, Ayia Napa's mayor, said: “This is a legacy for future generations and contains many symbolisms about the alienation of humans from the environment, the relationship between different generations and climate change.”

Marina Argyrou, from the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, said: “The underwater museum will be a living visual and ecological experience, with works of art interacting with nature and evolving over time. I’m certain it will bring people closer to the marine environment and the conservation and protection of our marine ecosystem”.

Jason deCaires Taylor is a British artist whose concern about the effects of climate change, overfishing and other human interventions has led him on global projects, where he tries to create ideal conditions for the development of marine life. He is a member of The Royal Society of Sculptors, an ocean ambassador to DAN (Divers Alert Network), an Ocean Exemplar of The World Ocean Observatory and a featured TED speaker.