Google Street View takes you under the sea!

It looks like Google is slowly, but surely taking over all of earth’s surfaces! Except for one area, the oceans, which cover more than 70% of our planet.

On Thursday, Google decided to narrow the gap a bit by adding Street View imagery from more than 40 locations around the world, and many are actually underwater.

Now you can swim with humpback whales, explore coral reefs, or walk on the beautiful beaches in Bali, all from the comfort of your desk chair! The images that Google collected are in partnership with Catlin Seaview Survey, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Chagos Conservation Trust.

Some of the new underwater footage that Google Street View captured comes from Bali, the Bahamas, the Great Barrier Reef, and Aruba, Florida Keys. Plus island images from many different islands.

It’s impossible to list every new addition; every click will lead you to a new corner of the deep blue sea. People that have explored the ocean in Google Street View have said to have seen spinner dolphins, humpback whales and even giant turtles.

Last week at Google’s I/O developer’s conference, they spoke about an updated version of its Cardboard virtual reality system. Google also recently announced that street view is available for Cardboard in certain locations. So, it’s not so much a stretch to think that at some point soon we could be exploring the depths of the world’s oceans in immersive 3D - using just a smartphone and a piece of cardboard!

However, this under water project is about more than just a way to virtually swim in the oceans depths. Google claims it is also a way to monitor the environment and view how it changes over time.

Now we are exploring the sea beds while sitting at our desks, what will be next with the wonders that new technology brings? What do you think of Google Street View going under the sea?

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