Cape Greco & Ayia Napa · Cyprus · Artificial reef
MUSAN
An underwater forest of sculptures at 8 to 10 m
Area photo: Fry72, Karel Frydrýšek · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa, an underwater forest of more than 90 works by Jason deCaires Taylor set at 8 to 10 m off Pernera Beach. Opened in 2021 inside a Marine Protected Area, it can only be visited through an official dive centre, by boat, and suits Open Water divers and snorkellers alike.
Also known as Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa.
Where it is and how deep
34.9849° N, 33.9834° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive is booked through an official dive centre and starts with a short boat ride out to the statues, about 200 m off the coast of Ayia Napa. The sculptures stand on the seabed at 8 to 10 m, so the whole dive stays shallow and Open Water divers can join, while snorkellers also visit by boat and look down on the works from the surface.
The museum is laid out as an underwater forest of more than 90 works by Jason deCaires Taylor, some in the form of trees and others figurative. The route winds among them, and the shallow depth leaves plenty of time at each piece. The whole site lies within a Marine Protected Area close to the Ayia Napa shoreline.
Background
MUSAN opened in August 2021 as the first underwater sculpture museum in the Mediterranean. Its more than 90 artworks are by the sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, some shaped as trees and others as figures, arranged as an underwater forest. The museum sits inside a Marine Protected Area within 200 m of the Ayia Napa coast and is open to both divers and snorkellers.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Cape Greco & Ayia Napa: Diving is possible year-round; May to October brings the warmest water and greater marine-life abundance.
Dive videos
Scuba Diving the Musan Underwater Sculpture Museum Cyprus 2023 · Mediterranean Blue Films on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is MUSAN in Ayia Napa?+
The sculptures of MUSAN stand at 8 to 10 m, about 200 m off the Ayia Napa coast. Open Water divers can visit through an official dive centre, and snorkellers too.
Sources
- MUSAN — Scubago
- Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa (MUSAN) — Jason deCaires Taylor
- Diving spots Ayia Napa - Protaras — Visit Famagusta
- Dive sites — Sirens Dive Centre
- Ayia Napa — Wikivoyage
More dive sites in Cape Greco & Ayia Napa
Reef
A shallow training beach that never goes deeper than 6 m
Towering rock walls and boulders reached down two cliff ladders
Cave & cavern
Daylit swim-throughs up to 30 m long at Cape Greco
Amphora remains at 5 m and a slope past 40 m below a chapel
Wall
A shore entry onto a cliff that runs down to 40 m
Reef
A statue of Atlantis and a small canyon in a protected bay
Reef
Stone columns and statues at 9 m in a shallow training bay
Reef
A drop-off to 11 m and a deepest point of 18 m from the shore
Similar dives elsewhere
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