The Bahamas is renowned for its stunning beaches, natural beauty, paradise atmosphere and a host of water activities.
The Bahamas is a nation of islands with 95 percent of its territory underwater.
Each year, roughly 5 million people visit the island country which is made up of 700 islands and cays.
The Bahamas consists of a group of islands which is spread out over some 500 miles in the Atlantic Ocean.
Perched on the western coastline of New Providence in Nassau, Bahamas, you will find the iconic Ocean Atlas.
Amongst the magnificence, deep down under the water, lies a poignant reminder of why the ocean is so integral to all and a reminder of its constant threats.
Towering a whopping 17 feet tall, the Ocean Atlas features a statue of a young Bahamian girl which is meant to be a symbol of her carrying the weight of the ocean.
The magnificent underground statue is in reference to the Ancient Greek myth of Atlas – the famous Titan who led the rebellion against Zeus and held up the heavens.
Ocean Atlas sculpture was installed in 2014, weighing an incredible 60 tons and measuring 5 metres in height.
Jason deCaires Taylor was the brainchild behind the sculpture, a British artist who was among the first to shift the concepts of the Land art movement into the realm of the marine environment.
Ocean Atlas was constructed using sustainable pH neutral materials creating an artificial reef which attracts a host of marine life.
The statue in the Ocean Atlas was cast with several molds and was designed to mimic the rocklife found underwater.
Ocean Atlas’s sculpture is not just a poignant message about the ocean’s importance but also acts to divert tourists from The Bahama’s natural reefs which have experienced mounting pollution, global warming and overfishing issues.
The reason the popular island was chosen to have the Ocean Atlas is because The Bahamas is home to the Bahamas Reef Environment Education Foundation (BREEF) which commissioned the vial work.
Founded in 1993, the BREEF is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes the conservation of the Bahamian marine environment.
To visit this awe-inspiring sculpture and experience the Ocean Atlas, visitors can head to Clifton Heritage National Park on the western end of New Providence Island in the Bahamas.
Adventurists can visit the Ocean Atlas by paying a small fee to snorkel the largest single figurative sculpture ever to be deployed underwater.
