'The Silent Evolution' Gains a Car

Scuba divers in the Mexican Caribbean Sea have always had much to delight in. The colorful marine life, mammals, fish and foliage, are top draws at any time of year. However, off the coast of Cancún there is a little more to see.

'The Silent Evolution', a vast underwater art installation by Jason deCaires Taylor, already has 400 pieces in it. Last week, it received a new addition: an eight tonne Volkswagon Beetle car, designed to save the life of lobsters and crabs.


'The Silent Evolution' has been popular with tourists since its inception. The Caribbean Sea is so clear that those travelling on boats, from Cancún to Isla Mujeres, can simply peer down through the waves to view the sculptures on the sea-bed. Snorkellers and divers get the vest views of all though. It's a common sight to find people swimming above or around the area, which just adds to the surreal beauty of the place.

The VW Beetle was lowered into place on June 28th, joining hundreds of sculptures of people going about their daily business. The latest sculpture is called, 'Anthropocene'. It refers to the geological age, which we are currently in.

Anthropocene highlights how humanity has had such a significant presense upon the Earth, that we have actually altered the planet's geology. This may be through climate change or literally, with our capacity to physically reshape the world to suit our needs, in cities, quarries, tunnels through mountains, dams etc.

A car is a strong symbol of that. The metals that craft it and the oil and gas that power it are drawn from the Earth; the exhaust fumes that eminate from it affect our climate. Hence deClaires Taylor's choice to use it to represent the current age.


For humans, 'The Silent Evolution' may be a novelty beneath the sea, but there is a greater purpose here too. The world needs coral reefs. They're not just pretty, but perform a vital function as 'the rainforests of the ocean' (read more here), as well as providing homes for much of the Caribbean's marine life. However, generations of human irresponsibility and hurricane pressure has damaged the coral to the point of endangering us all.

All of the sculptures, including the latest, are made from specially treated concrete. In effect, they create an artificial, man-made coral reef. They are installed as a dull, grey object, but are quickly colonized by marine plant-life. These vibrant colors transform the sculpture into a living artform, which changes with the seasons and maturity. It will never look the same twice, as people visit it months apart.


The evolution of a previous sculpture.
Each sculpture is designed with a certain species of marine life in mind. Some provide sanctuary for fish and others, like the VW Beetle just lowered into the ocean, are for the crustaceans. 'Anthropocene' contains special features, like doorways for lobsters, gaining access to the hollow inside. Therein are places where these creatures can find a home and, more importantly, breed. The whole car is filled with such hidey-holes rendering it much more than unusual art.


To visit 'The Silent Evolution', you need to come to Cancún or Isla Mujeres. Trips are available from both places, where you may choose between viewing from above (boats and snorkelling) or scuba diving down for a close inspection. There are three main sites in the coastal waters here, including one close to the huge natural coral reef of Punta Nizuc.



Read more of our blogs on the subject:

Cancún and Isla Mujeres Underwater Art Museum
'The Silent Evolution': Life-Saving Art

'The Silent Evolution': Life-saving Art

In the waters between Cancún and Isla Mujeres, there is a remarkable sight. 400 life-sized statues of real people gaze up from the seabed. Their presense forms an artificial coral reef, which will help preserve the marine eco-system. Two days ago, it was also the setting for a campaign to save human beings.



When we last highlighted the work of Jason de Caires Taylor, 'The Silent Evolution' was merely concept art. This hauntingly beautiful seabed scene is now a reality. Just two weeks ago, it was installed in the Manchones Reef, in the National Marine Park of Cancún, Isla Mujeres and Pinta Nisuc. Snorkellers, scuba divers and glass-boated boats have already been flocking to the site. At a depth of between 4-7 meters (13-23ft), it is easily viewed through the pristine waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Each one of the 400 life-sized sculptures represent a real person walking around in the world above. They range from an 85 year old nun to a three year old boy named Santiago. On his website, the artist paid tribute to 'all the models who patiently stood in their underwear covered in vaseline and plaster for over an hour, thus requiring trust and bravery'.



As with all of Jason de Caires Taylor's underwater sculptures, 'The Silent Evolution' has an important job to do. Erosion and bleaching of the world's coral reefs mean that much of the plants and creatures that rely on on them are now endangered. These statues have been especially created to act as substitute reefs. While blandly white at the moment, they will literally evolve into a vibrant and ever-changing display of color.

The installation has already attracted bright, tropical fish into its sheltering nooks. Within just a few weeks, the coral plantlife will start growing across its surfaces. The artist views the creation and placing of the statues as merely the beginning, 'the second phase is dependant on nature’s artists of the sea, to nurture, evolve and apply the patina of life.' Once the coral life has really taken hold, then each new visit to the site will reveal whole new wonders. This is living, breathing, thriving art.



'The Silent Evolution' hit doubly hit the headlines this week. As the final pieces were being lowered into place, delegates from the UN Climate Change Conference were gathering in nearby Cancún. Activists from Greenpeace, TckTckTck and 350.org wanted to get their message heard by them. The slogan was stark, 'Real people can't live underwater'. It was to press home the threat posed by rising sea levels. In a world of glaciers melting under rising temperatures, those living in low lying coastal areas, across the world, are in danger of losing their homes and livelihoods.

The protesters donned ordinary, every-day clothing, in order to free dive down to the statues. They had to hold their breath for up to a minute, so that their photographs and video footage could be taken. The human-like sculptures were created to live underwater. Human beings are not.

All of this was done with Jason de Caires Taylor's permission. In fact, he was there. Who better than the artist to take the photographs? :D



For more images, check out the slideshow here.

C-58 Minesweeper Wreck Site - Advanced Diving Attraction

There is something so beautifully evocative about shipwrecks. Sociologists, historians and psychologists have pondered long and hard about our endless fascination with the story of the Titanic. Their conclusions seem to be that there is something for everyone in the details of that tragic disaster. There are the human interest stories to inspire or break our hearts. There is the sheer horror of the ship sinking. There are the mechanics of such a huge vessel. There is the fledging technology of the Marconi systems. There are the ghosts and portents. There is the shipwreck.

Shipwrecks seem to call to the human soul. Perhaps its born of disquiet; that here is evidence of the achievements of humankind, in all its mammoth, hulking, engineering genius, now left to the ravages of nature. Nature will eventually win, breaking down the steel and wood, and all those fancy furnishings, as the force of the ocean beats against it and the bacteria eats away. Nature 1, Humanity 0.

But in the meantime, there is the awe-inspiring wonder of it all. There is the haunting sight of human things disintegrating; but there is also new life. Where the captain once stood at the wheel, navigating by stars and compass, now there are coral formations and a family of groupers darting through. Where the look-out once climbed, there are manta rays gliding effortlessly through the deep. Where the first mate once consulted his records and rigs, the barracuda snaps for lunch. Where the crew once went about their daily lives, keeping the ship afloat and on course, the coral creatures crawl.



It is this function of shipwrecks, as home to marine life, that saw the deliberate sinking of several vessels off the coast of the Riveria Maya. They had all been military ships, in the United States Navy, during World War II. Later decommissioned, they were sold to the Mexican Navy. Their useful life on the surface of the water eventually became over; but they had further service to complete beneath it. As nature's coral reefs became eroded, there was need for artifical reefs. These ships became humanity's contribution to the cause.

The most famous of these is the C58 General Anaya, which is the location of SCUBA diving expeditions. This American ship had originally been known as the USS Harlequin, built in 1944, in Portland, Oregon, USA. She saw active service as an admiral-class minesweeper, forging ahead of the main fleet of the US Navy ships, neutralizing naval mine bombs, during World War II. In 1962, she was sold to the Mexican Navy, who renamed her C58 General Anaya. There she remained in active service, still as a minesweeper. But she was getting old and unsuitable for purpose. In 1980, she was sunk as an artificial reef, off the coast of Cozumel. Now she lies on the ocean bed and she is beautiful.




For those wishing to undertake this amazing dive, there is the recommendation that you are an experienced diver. The current down to the ship can be quite strong. Once there, though, the bulk of the C58 General Anaya minesweeper will protect you, as it protects the marine life inside. You can enter this ship. Hurricane Wilma tore it into two, in 2005, allowing you easy access into the internal quarters. Alternatively, you can swim around it. Either way, it is a stunning, jaw-dropping sight, which only the intrepid few will ever see.

The Lionfish Situation

While everyone waits anxiously for news about how the Gulf of Mexico oil leak will affect migrating sea life, there is one species that marine biologists wish would just go away. The lionfish might look impressive, but it's also a voracious predator currently experiencing a population boom in the region.



The lionfish is a favorite of tropical fish tanks across the world. Tourists often squeal with delight to see them in the oceans, because they now know for certain that they are in the tropics. That is if the white sands, turquoise sea and palm trees hadn't already given them the clue. However, it's not native to these waters. No-one had seen one in the Mexican Caribbean until January 2009.

Lionfish should be in the Pacific Ocean, specifically around the Indian Pacific. Their range covers Western Australia, Malayasia, French Polynesia, the Pitcairn Islands, South Korea and Japan. Until recently, it didn't include the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Caribbean. Now, it most definitely does. Their numbers have grown to critical level in the waters around Cozumel particularly.

No-one knows why they are here. The major theory is that Hurricane Andrew destroyed an aquarium in Florida, USA, releasing the lionfish into their oceans. They then just migrated down into the Caribbean. However, this view has been challenged by NOAA ecologist James Morris Jr, who was spotting them around Florida as early as 1985. The amended guess then is that Floridean tropical tank owners have been privately releasing the lionfish into the oceans, perhaps when they wanted to close down their tank. This is not unknown. Lionfish have been found as far afield as the waters off Long Island, New York, and in the Mediterranean Sea, both as a result of tropical fish tank owners letting them go. Those captured, in the Caribbean, have been proven, through DNA, to all be descended from the same six or seven fish.

Lionfish are not generally deadly for human beings. They will keep their distance for a start, being extremely wary of us. Even if they did sting a human, with their venomous dorsal fins, the affected area would simply be painful. A good soaking in some warm water would sort that out.

It's only those experiencing an allergic reaction to the venom who need to worry, in the same way as some people aren't good with wasps. That said, the current medical advice is to have a sting checked out at a hospital, just in case.

However, for the smaller marine life, lionfish pose a greater threat than all of the sharks and other natural predators put together. The lionfish's favorite snack are those algae-eating creatures. These help to protect the coral reefs, as a build up of algae could hinder the growth of the reefs. From late afternoon until dawn, lionfish are travelling up and down the coral, eating whole any unfortunate herbivore fish that crosses their path. As many as 185 juvenile native fish a day could be eaten by just one lionfish. This includes some species that were already endangered.

With such a buffet on hand, and no natural predators in the area, the numbers of lionfish are increasing every day. The females can each produce up to 30,000 offspring! The lionfish here are also growing much bigger than their usual 12cm (5"); some as big as 55cm (22") have been seen. Volunteer divers are capturing them and killing them on sight.

Meanwhile, some enterprising local events have been staged, as a way of disposing of lionfish, while also highlighting the situation. Ricardo Gomez Lozano, director of the Cozumel National Marine Park, organized a lionfish tournament recently. Divers and fishers set out to land as many as they could, with the winner being the one with the biggest catch. They were caught live and dropped into ice water, as a humane way of killing them. Tournament over, and this being Mexico, everyone relaxed with a barbecue on the beach.

"This is the beginning of the invasion for us, but we have seen how quickly infestations have developed elsewhere." Ricardo Gomez Lozano warned, "We have to act quickly."

So if you are a fishing enthusiast or a diver and wish to do your bit for the environment, please do come down to Mexico on a lionfish hunt. Your coral reef needs you! For safe, effective hunting and cooking of them, please visit the Lionfish Hunter website.

Cancún and Isla Mujeres Underwater Art Museum

The picture above is entitled 'The Silent Revolution' by Jason de Caires Taylor. At first glance, it may appear as people trudging slowly over a strange, barren landscape, while the sky above casts a heavy, blue glow. However, there is something very different about this artwork. For a start, the ground is the seabed. The bizarre blueness is explained once you realise that it is all the Caribbean Sea. This is concept art and the finished product will be underwater.

The figures are life-sized sculptures, their faces cast from real life people living in the Yucatan today. They are shown as a progression of the historical population of Mexico. Some are in the dress of the earliest settlers of Mexico; others clothed as the Maya or the Aztecs or the Spanish Conquistadors or the 19th century revolutionaries or any other period that you care to mention. Those at the front are modern people; some have been cast from the faces of international tourists.

'The Silent Revolution' is currently being installed, in the strait between Cancún and Isla Mujeres. It is just one of a series of intricate and immense artwork being lowered into place there, creating the largest underwater art display in the world. The whole project will eventually consist of 400 sculptures, occupying 150 square meters of ocean floor. It began in November 2009 and will continue being added to until 2012; then it will remain as a permanent, 120 ton exhibition.

Some sculptures have already been secured into place:


La Jardinera de la Esperanza (The Gardener of Hope)


El Coleccionista de los Sueños Perdidos (The Archive of Lost Dreams)


Hombre en Llamas (Man on Fire)

The sculptures are more than just beautiful works of art. They have an important environment purpose too. They are especially created from materials which enable natural coral growth. The marine life that ordinarily clings to reefs will also form around this artwork; an attribute which is vital in an area where the coral reefs have been damaged over time. They provide somewhere for this life to cling onto. In turn, the marine life changes each sculpture, as flora forms upon it and fish, shrimp and other creatures teem around it.

Moreover, the sculptures lift the pressure from the entirely natural reefs. Tourists, snorkelers, divers and fishers may well choose to visit the art, instead of the coral. The sight is just as stunning and the fish are the same, only the foundation is less fragile. With fewer visitors than before, the actual coral reef is given a chance to repair and heal.

All in all, Jason de Caires Taylor's vision has grown from a magical concept into a wonderful, life-saving, stunning reality. To see more, please visit his site.

What Is This Reef Tax?!

'Reef Tax' and/or 'Port Tax' seems to crop up a lot. Unsuspecting tourists pay their money for a fishing, snorkeling, diving or sight-seeing trip into the Caribbean, then turn up on the day to be hit with an extra charge. It's not much. Between US$2 - US$5, depending upon the destination, but it's there. Some just shrug and pay it. Others stamp and scream out, 'scam!', as is their wont. But what are these charges and where is all that money going?



Your tour companies and guides are not receiving that money. Both taxes are imposed at a federal level. They are used to maintain the environment in which you are playing nicely. The 'port tax' is common throughout the world, so it isn't peculiar to Cancún. It levies funds from which the ports and beaches themselves can be maintained; as well as paying the people to staff them.

The 'reef tax' is more properly called 'The Federal Marine Park Tax' and can be viewed as your entrance fee into a marine national park. It was imposed after a study instigated, by the Mexican and the World Bank, into the effects of tourism on sea life in the area. In particular, the report was concerned with investigating the condition of the coral reef, which stretches parallel to the Yucatán Peninsula all the way down to Belize.

The report, published as 'The Economics of Managing a Marine Park in Cancún, Mexico', in 2001, was committed to 'attaining an equilibrium between enironmental damage to the coral reef and generating maximum social welfare.' In short, how could we have fun without killing the reef? Unfortunately, it found lots of cause for alarm.

Just consider how many boats and people are out in the strait between Cancún and Isla Mujeres at any one time. There are the speedboats on the Jungle Tours; fishing trawlers in the sea; the party catamarans and passenger ferries; the yachts of the rich and famous; the Caribbean cruises; the snorkelers and the divers; not to mention the navy and the emergency services. The report estimated that, in 1997, approximately 1549 visitors every single day crossed the Punta Nizuc section of the coral reef area. As a result that reef was already showing signs of wear and tear. It highlighted five causes of this:

1, Human contact - visitors diving down to break off pieces of coral to take home as souvenirs;
2, Boat collisions with the reef formations;
3, Hydrocarbon pollution - oil and gasoline leaking from boats;
4, Sunscreen pollution - coral viruses caused by swimmers not using biogradable sunscreen with non-contamining ingredients;
5, Sewage - human waste being discharged into the water, particularly in the Nichupte Lagoon.

The result was that the level of hydrocarbons in the water was ten times higher than that recommended by UNESCO; nutrient levels were too high; and the diversity and populations of marine species in the region had sharply declined.

Something clearly had to be done. What followed was legislation. Article 198 of the Mexican Federal Law states that 'visitors who practice aquatic activities within the National Marine Park' have to pay a tax of US$2. This money is used exclusively for protecting the waters and the coral reef areas. There are many and varied ways that this money is spent. These include:

* The building of an artificial island for the mooring of speedboats over the Punta Nizuc coral reef. There are only a few mooring spots, hence that limits the number of people over it at any one time. It also stops boats colliding with the reef or damaging it with their anchors.



* Staff to monitor the water levels and the condition of the coral reef. Plus staff to inspect all tour operators to ensure that they are complying within the new rules and recommendations.

* The construction of bigger sewage processing plants, better able to cope with the sheer number of tourists.

* All repair work and preventative work, as necessary.

Other measures which came into force included:

* The banning of non-biogradable sunscreen in the Caribbean Sea. Visitors intending to head out on aquatic activities are likely to be checked and all non-biogradable sunscreens taken off them. All tour operators are required to sell biogradable sunscreen, with non-contaminating ingredients, as substitutes.

* A licence required for all boats in the Caribbean Sea. Though there is only a nominal fee for this licence, it can only be gained if the captain/guide has undertaken a two day course in reef ecology and care.

* Restrictions upon the type of oil and petroleum that boats are allowed to use.

* All visitors to the Punta Nizuc coral reef are required to wear lifevests. In addition to being lifesavers, these vests have the added bonus of being buoyant. Those wearing them will find it difficult to dive underwater to break off pieces of coral for souvenirs.

In short, the recommendations and your payment of the reef tax is ensuring that there will still be such beauty, in the lagoons and the sea, for many generations to come.

Why Biodegradable Sunscreen?

Everyone knows that you should reapply sunscreen after leaving the waters. If we didn't, then we'd soon be burning in the fierce sunshine and we'd spend the rest of our vacation suffering in the shade. However, have you ever stopped to wonder where the sunscreen went that you applied before you started swimming? The answer is simple. It washed off you and is now in the water.

The Polytechnic University of Marche, in Italy, researched the issue and learned that up to 6000 metric tons of sunscreen every year is settling onto the ocean beds. This wouldn't be such a problem, if it wasn't for the chemical reaction between the ingredients of sunscreen and the algae viruses on coral reefs. If this occurs then a coral reef could be completely killed within four days.


Damaged Coral Reef

Many resorts and companies around the Yucatán Peninsula have a policy of only allowing biodegradable sunscreen in their waters. Some operators will simply confiscate non-biodegradable products upon sight, whilst selling the biodegradable sort behind their counters. This is naturally more expensive and has led some tourists to scream, 'scam!' The more smugly selfish and ignorant even resort to lathering themselves in the destructive brands before they leave their hotels rooms, so that no-one can check whether it was biogradable or not. They then set off to potentially destroy the coral reefs, whilst feeling very proud that they saved themselves $9 USD.

The harmful chemicals are familiar to most popular sunscreen brands. They are PABA, octinoxate, oxybenzone, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, oils, chemicals or the preservative butylparaben. All of these are damaging to the coral reefs. Even a small amount can react with the algae. This raises the odds to it being 15 times more likely that a virus will develop and, if that happens, then the coral will bleach and die. A coral reef risks contamination every single time someone swims in ordinary sunscreen. It's a timebomb waiting to go off.

Since 1968, The University of North Carolina has been conducting long term studies. Their conclusions are startling. 75% of the world's coral reefs are in the Indo-Pacific region, where they are dying off at a rate of 1% a year. That's nearly 600 square miles (1,553 square kilometers) of reef disappearing annually. In Australia, the Great Barrier Reef was covered in tethered plantoons (huge canopies) for two years, between 2004-6, to protect it. As the results were 'encouraging', the authorities are now considering plans for permanent covers. In the Caribbean though, where the local economy relies so heavily on tourism, the situation has gone critical. They daren't cover their coral reefs, when so many people come specifically to see it; while swimmers are contributing to higher concentrations of sunscreen in the water. The best that is currently being done are attempts to promote biodegradable sunscreen in the oceans, lagoons and cenotes.



Vibrant Coral Reef

Coral reefs are very pretty to look at. Most people who go snorkeling or diving are going to see the pretty reefs. However, there is much more to them than that. Coral reefs are often referred to as the rainforests of the ocean. Their biodiversity keeps everything ticking over nicely. Their presense controls the amount of carbon dioxide in the world's oceans. The oceans are currently the greatest sink of carbon dioxide that we have. The seas pull it from the air and store it there. However, in tropical waters, the opposite can be true. If the oceans become too saturated, then they start to release carbon dioxide into the air.

The coral helps to minimalise this. Without the coral reefs, you would be breathing in great lungfuls of carbon dioxide throughout the Yucatán Peninsula. The reefs also provide homes for many different species of marine life, which would simply become extinct without them. Many of these fish are caught to feed human beings and yes, they are covered in your sunscreen at the time too. Finally, reflect upon why coral reefs are often called 'barrier reefs'. It is because they stand between the bulk of the ocean and the coastlines; they slow the water down so that coastal towns aren't inundated.

In short, using ordinary sunscreen whilst swimming in the sea is the equivalent to leaving unattended open fires in the Californian forests or the grasslands of Western Canada. Yes, it might be ok. It might... Alternatively, you could just use biodegradeable sunscreen, which has none of the harmful chemicals, thus protecting both your sensitive skin and the coral reefs.

Biodegradable Sunscreen brands: BATAB, Cactus Juice, Caribbean Solutions, KissMyFace, MexiTan, Smartshield, Soleo Organics and UV Natural. They will probably be cheaper if you buy them on-line before you leave home, than if you have to make a desperate purchase in order to be allowed on a Cancún snorkeling trip.