In a part of MUSA, which is locally known as "Casitas", within the Manchones National Park off the coast of Isla Mujeres, divers will come across some rather strange hand grenades and sea mines as part of the Time Bomb statue collection in this area.
There are two different sculptures of time bombs here, constructed by Jason deCaire Taylor. They were submerged during the second expansion of MUSA in 2011.
The Hand Grenades and the Sea Mines are meant to represent the absurdity of elements of death, of war giving life.
Time Bomb - Fuse
The two statues are displayed together like fruit on a table. The fruits are hand grenades because we sit on a ticking time bomb. Jason's message is that we are about to explode like nature is about to.
The hand grenades are constructed like round spheres of horizontal layers where marine life has made its homes. At the top of each bomb lies a short fuse line intending to show that they will explode shortly.
Time Bomb - Mine
The second bomb has a spiked round sphere designed to look like a sea mine. Like the other statue, it sits there, waiting to explode like nature.
The two Time Bomb statues are relatively close to the Urban Reef and Seascape statues.
Thank you to Roberto Diaz of MUSA and his amazing staff for helping me learn the meanings and artists' intentions behind each statue.
If you are genuinely interested in knowing more about MUSA, take some time out of your day and visit the headquarters in Cancun. The history is impressive, and the new statues planned for future installations are incredible.
Depth
9 meters / 30 feet
Experience Level
Entry Level, Beginners, and all levels of certified divers
Average Visibility Underwater
20-30 mt / 66-99 feet
Average Water Temp
28 C°/ 82F°
Dive Time
45 minutes (Parque National Rules)
