Côte d'Azur · France · Artificial reef
L'écomusée sous-marin
Six two-metre cement heads standing at 3 to 5 m
Area photo: Tangopaso · Public domain
Six cement heads standing on the sea floor at 3 to 5 m off the south shore of Île Sainte-Marguerite, cast by the sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor from the faces of Cannes residents. Each is two metres high and weighs two tonnes. Boats may no longer anchor near them, and the surfaces are expected to go under algae, shells and benthic fauna over time.
Also known as Écomusée sous-marin de Cannes, Écomusée sous-marin des Îles de Lérins.
Where it is and how deep
43.5154° N, 7.0506° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
There is no depth to this dive. The statues stand on the bottom between 3 and 5 m, close in to the southern shore of Sainte-Marguerite, so the whole visit happens in daylight with no meaningful gas or time pressure. Six heads, each two metres high and two tonnes of cement, modelled on the faces of people who live in Cannes.
Plan it as a circuit of the six rather than a swim past them, since the interest is in the faces themselves and in what is growing on them: the sculptures are colonising with algae, shells and benthic fauna, and are meant to end up part of the local ecosystem rather than objects sitting on it. Anchoring anywhere near the site is now banned, so the ground around the heads stays undisturbed.
Background
The écomusée was created in 2021 in the water between the islands of Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat by the British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, whose underwater works also include the Museum of Underwater Art and the Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa. It consists of six cement statues, each representing the face of a Cannes resident, two metres high and weighing two tonnes. Anchoring near the site was subsequently prohibited to protect both the installation and the surrounding biodiversity.
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 | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Côte d'Azur: Water runs about 13°C in February and 25°C in August, and diving carries on year-round; the Théoule park's shore trail opens only from mid-June to mid-September.
Questions divers ask
Who made the underwater museum at Cannes?+
The British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, whose other underwater installations include the Museum of Underwater Art and the Museum of Underwater Sculpture Ayia Napa. The Cannes work is six cement heads modelled on the faces of local residents.
Can you snorkel the écomusée sous-marin?+
The statues stand at 3 to 5 m off the south shore of Sainte-Marguerite, which is within snorkelling range. Boats are not allowed to anchor beside the installation.
Sources
- L'écomusée sous-marin - Dive Site — SSI/Scubago
- Îles de Lérins — Wikipédia (FR)
- Jason deCaires Taylor — Wikipedia
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