TIME Google

These Google Street Views are Literally Breathtaking

FRANCE-INTERNET-GOOGLE
PHILIPPE HUGUEN—AFP/Getty Images

An undersea feature comes in time for World Oceans Day next week

Google is letting users see what it’s like to swim under the sea with a Google Street Views feature for the ocean.

The tech giant now has 40 underwater spots captured around the world, including locations in American Samoa, the Chagos Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef.

The images have been made available to the public in time for World Oceans Day on June 8, according to CNET.

“Home to the majority of life on Earth, the ocean acts as its life support system, controlling everything from our weather and rainfall to the oxygen we breathe,” Google said a blog post.

“Yet despite the ocean’s vital importance, the ocean is changing at a rapid rate due to climate change, pollution, and overfishing, making it one of the most serious environmental issues we face today,” the blog post added.

[video id=upF0qp1E]

The company continued: “Mapping the ocean is key to preserving it. Each image in Google Maps is a GPS-located digital record of these underwater and coastal environments, which can be used as a baseline to monitor change over time.”

The move comes as Yahoo announces plans to end its own mapping service at the end of June.

For images and video of what the project looks like, visit Google’s website.

MORE Check out the new Fortune 500 list

Tap to read full story

Your browser is out of date. Please update your browser at http://update.microsoft.com


YOU BROKE TIME.COM!

Dear TIME Reader,

As a regular visitor to TIME.com, we are sure you enjoy all the great journalism created by our editors and reporters. Great journalism has great value, and it costs money to make it. One of the main ways we cover our costs is through advertising.

The use of software that blocks ads limits our ability to provide you with the journalism you enjoy. Consider turning your Ad Blocker off so that we can continue to provide the world class journalism you have become accustomed to.

The TIME Team