Living Museum In The Sea Opens In Dominican Republic

What kind of a traveller are you An adventure seeker or an art & culture geek What if we tell you that you could enjoy the best of both worlds together Well, if you haven&rsquot planned your next vacation yet, then we&rsquove got you covered. The Dominican Republic is the place to be if all your answers to the above-mentioned questions are positive. Those interested in snorkeling and scuba diving might want to pay a little more attention to this one.  You can now visit the &lsquoLiving Museum In The Sea&rsquo, an initiative by the researchers at the Indiana University Centre for Underwater science in collaboration with the government of the Dominican Republic.

With an aim to preserve and protect historic shipwrecks and coastal environments, the museum is open to the public by snorkeling and scuba diving. For the non-diving audience, many shipwrecks have been preserved for display in The Dominican Republic&rsquos national maritime museum in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Colonial Zone. 

According to Indiana University, this museum is a solution to the problem of treasure hunting, which continues to be legal in the Dominican Republic as long as whatever is found is returned to the government. This often results in the government getting stuck with artefacts that can&rsquot survive above water and they don&rsquot have the resources to invest in above water conservation. 

With this &lsquoLiving Museum In The Sea&rsquo, researchers at Indiana University have placed artefacts like old canon and anchors so as to replicate a shipwreck scene. The museum displays historic shipwrecks that took place in the Dominican Coast in the 15th and 19th century. The goal is to preserve the site for the present and future generations so as to promote sustainable tourism in the region.