Underwater Museum Of Art: North America’s First Underwater Museum
Florida is a home to a lot of places, that attract visitors. But, there is one more fascinating destination to add to the must see list. Underwater Museum of Art or UMA, is the North America’s first underwater museum.
Located in the Gulf of Mexico, 0.7 miles off the shore of Grayton Beach State Park, in a town of South Walton, the museum is set at a depth of 60 feet. The place is not just a potential tourist destination, but a place to create a wildlife.
Underwater museums have been around for awhile, however what differs UMA from others is, that it has been created with a marine habitat in mind. All sculptures are made with an environmentally friendly materials and have no toxins or plastic. So, the sculptures compliment the environment; not damage it. Furthermore, they are an artificial reefs, so they help restore marine life. Eventually, the sculptures will be covered in coral and marine growth. So, it will be for sure one of the best thing to see underwater.
So far, the installation has seven sculptures, that were chosen to be deployed underwater. JYC’s Dream, Self Portrait, Propeller in Motion, The Grayt Pineapple, SWARA Skull, Concrete Rope Reef Spheres and Anamorphous Octopus are the sculptures and future homes for a wildlife.
JYC’s Dream is a tribute to Jacques Cousteau’s “Aqualung”. Artist Kevin Reilly explains: “It was Cousteau’s dream for all people, especially for future generations, to access the underwater world”. The sculpture is a diver’s head, wearing Cousteau’s invention.
Self Portrait is a sculpture of Justin Gaffrey. Surprisingly, it is not a sculpture of a human, but an eight feet tall deer.
Propeller in Motion is a 3D design by Marek Anthony. It is constructed with pieces of propeller shaped concrete, melded on a steel. The sculptures allows a light, water ans fish to pass through.
Rachel Herring’s sculpture: The Grayt Pineapple, may seem like a Spongebob’s place, but it is meant to be for other inhabitants. The sculpture, is an eight feet tall, stainless steel hollow pineapple, which will become home to a various sea creatures.
SWARA Scull by Vince Tatum, is a huge scull, with coral friendly limestone covering on top. SWARA stands for South Walton Artificial Reef Association.
Concrete Rope Reef Spheres by Evelyn Tinkle are a concrete mix of spheres. The formula of the concrete is developed by the artist herself. It matches a chemical makeup of an oyster shell, so it will be a perfect place for oyster to attach.
Anamorphous Octopus by Alison Wickey is a sculpture of an octopus, but, as the name suggests, it is an anamorphic. It looks distorted at first, but it needs to be viewed from a certain point, to really see an octopus.
Admission to the museum is free, but visitors pay to enter state park. Obviously, the Underwater Museum is only seen by divers, so the certificate is required.
The coordinates for the centre sculpture are Latitude N 30 18.754 Longitude W 86 09.522. More information about the Underwater Museum of Art is available at the official website.
UnusualPlaces Field Notes
- Location
- Underwater Museum of Art — Super Reef Anchor Point, off Grayton Beach, Florida, USA
- Coordinates
- 30.312566666667, -86.158683333333
- Access
- The permanent sculpture garden lies offshore in about 58 ft (18 m) of Gulf water, less than one nautical mile from Grayton Beach State Park. The organizer says at-depth visitors should be certified divers comfortable in open water. Arrange a boat trip with a listed operator and confirm that the day’s dive plan includes UMA; routes depend on sea conditions. The published coordinates mark the Super Reef Anchor Point for boat reference, not an individual sculpture or shore entrance. Do not anchor among or touch the art.
- Admission
- The organizer says UMA has no separate admission ticket, but visiting in person requires a paid boat/dive trip. Emerald Coast Scuba currently lists a Destin-based seat at $200, with air tanks $16 each and equipment/divemaster extra; its price and itinerary may change, and it may substitute sites for conditions. If using Grayton Beach State Park by land, its separate fee is $5 per vehicle (2–8 people), $4 for a single-occupant vehicle or motorcycle, or $2 for pedestrians/bicyclists. That park fee is not the dive charter price.
- Time needed
- Emerald Coast Scuba describes its Destin-based two-tank trip as an almost eight-hour full-day outing, including a boat ride a little over two hours each way and a stop en route. That is the operator’s trip itinerary, not time underwater or a guaranteed UMA visit; it may choose other sites based on conditions. Grayton Beach departures may differ.
- Best season
- No preferred season is published by the organizer or operator reviewed. Offshore sea state and safety conditions determine whether a boat can visit; arrange a date with a charter and confirm the site is on the plan rather than relying on a fixed seasonal window.
- Opening hours
- There are no walk-in or daily opening hours for this offshore dive site. The organizer points visitors to dive operators. Emerald Coast Scuba currently advertises its Destin-based UMA trip about once per month, but site selection depends on conditions; contact an operator to confirm schedule, departure point and whether UMA will be visited.
- Location checked
- 2026-10-15
- Facts checked
- 2026-11-02
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