Phuket: Asia’s first underwater art museum will open in this southern resort province, with the RAYA Underwater Art Museum expected to create a new diving attraction while helping reduce pressure on natural coral reefs.
Pinsak Suraswadi, director-general of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), and his delegation recently inspected progress on the underwater sculptures at a factory in Phuket’s Thalang district.
“The project is described as a new dimension in creative tourism and will be the first underwater art museum in Asia and the third in the world, after those in Australia and Mexico,” Mr Pinsak said. It would position Phuket as a world art and culture destination and attract divers and quality tourists from around the world, helping distribute tourism revenue and generate sustainable economic value for Thailand.
Mr Pinsak said the project would help promote sustainable marine tourism as large numbers of visitors dive around natural coral reefs, causing damage to marine resources.
Establishing a distinctive new diving site would help ease pressure on existing sites and reduce impacts on natural reefs, while creating a new marine tourism attraction and raising Thailand’s profile.
The underwater sculptures draw on the Thai epic Ramakien, specifically the episode “Chong Thanon”, which depicts the construction of a causeway across the sea using rocks.
The main sculptures include the demon king Thotsakan, standing 6 metres high and 8 metres wide; Phra Ram, the hero and central character of the Ramakien, standing 5.5 metres high; and a sculpture representing the rocks used to build the causeway.
All the sculptures have been designed and made from environmentally friendly materials to allow coral larvae to attach and grow on them, eventually creating habitats for marine life.
Engineers are assessing the designs to ensure the sculptures are suitable for the seabed and currents around the Raya Islands.