One of the most peculiar attractions on a holiday in Cancun, the Underwater Museum, has a brand new addition: a concrete VW Beetle, one of the most famous cars in the world and one that enjoys iconic status in Mexico.
The sculpture was created by British artist James deCaires-Taylor from Canterbury in Kent as part of a display at the museum. The car joins hundreds of sculptures of buildings and people the artist crafted and placed underneath the waves near Cancun.
“A life-size eight-tonne cement replica of the classic Volkswagen beetle is the latest addition,” he said.
“The sculpture is designed specifically to house marine life whilst exploring the significant impact humans have had on our planet’s ecosystems and the subsequent affects to future generations.”
The car weighs eight tonnes and was lowered 26 feet to the sea bed of the Manchones Reef, near the Isla Mujeres. Huge barrels and sea buoys were attached to the car so it would float to the seabed, where it a team of divers secured the sculpture.
The artist said the shape of the car is ideal for coping underwater: “It’s rounded, aerodynamic shape makes it perfectly suited to maintain stability underwater from strong currents and tropical storms.”
Holes have been cut in the windscreen to allow fishes and sea creatures to take refuge. The maker also fashioned low entrance doors and internal living spaces for lobsters and crustaceans. The car was made with special textured Ph-neutral cement in order to attract settling hard and soft corals.
The VW beetle or ‘votcho’ as it is known in Mexico is an iconic symbol and its classic shape was actually still in production until March 2003.
