Underwater Museum of Art

The Underwater Museum of Art (UMA) is billed as the first permanent underwater sculpture garden in the United States. Created by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and launched in 2018, it sits on a one-acre permitted patch of seabed in the Gulf off Grayton Beach State Park, where each sculpture is designed to encourage marine growth and slowly become a living reef.

The sculptures rest at a depth of about 58 feet, roughly 0.93 mile from shore, within the South Walton Artificial Reef Association’s existing reef project. The museum’s website is umafl.org, and the Cultural Arts Alliance handles questions at 850-622-5970 or UMAFL@culturalartsalliance.com. Visiting is for certified divers only, since the site requires open-water dive certification.

Each year a jury selects new sculptural works from artists around the world, and new pieces are added in regular deployments. A 2025 sculpture created with the Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation symbolizes hope and healing for people affected by cancer. TIME magazine named UMA one of the 100 World’s Greatest Places in 2018, and it won the 2023 CODA Award for Collaboration of the Year. Supporters can also attend fundraising events such as Dine + Dive.