Richard Branson Turned a WWII Ship Into an Underwater Work of Art

What you see here is a work of art you can only view in person if you dive off the coast of Virgin Gorda of the British Virgin Islands. BVI Art Reef, a project spearheaded by Richard Branson and a slew of artists and philanthropists, found a decaying World War II ship, one that is suspected to be one of five that survived Pearl Harbor, and outfitted it with a sculpture of a humongous octopus. They then took the structure and deposited it deep off the coast of the aforementioned island. Why would they do that? So it can become an ever-evolving piece of art, one that helps coral and other life thrive in the area. It’s no secret that overfished areas spell trouble for the future of certain aquatic locales, and the team saw an opportunity to do something while also giving divers a “fantasy adventure.”