Google adds underwater "street view" to Maps

In a bid to prove just how much better Google’s mapping services are compared to Apple’s, the company has decided to say “Pfft, maps of the land? We now own the sea bitchez. Yeah, THE ACTUAL OCEAN. SO THERE.”

Google’s popular street view service is no longer constrained to actual streets, but now delves down into the depths of the sea to bring us some incredible panoramic shots from six locations around the globe, including The Great Barrier Reef, the Apo Islands in the Philippines and Hawaii’s Hanauma Bay.

On the Official Google Blog Brian McClendon, the VP of Google Maps and Earth, wrote:

“Today we’re adding the very first underwater panoramic images to Google Maps, the next step in our quest to provide people with the most comprehensive, accurate and usable map of the world.

“Now, anyone can become the next virtual Jacques Cousteau and dive with sea turtles, fish and manta rays in Australia, the Philippines and Hawaii.”

To get such spectacular images Google has teamed up with The Catlin Seaview Survey, a scientific study of reefs and underwater treasures caught on an SVII underwater camera.

Check out the Complete Underwater Collection now, but don’t blame us if you spend the rest of the afternoon virtually swimming along The Great Barrier Reef.

Related: Google Maps lets you visit landmarks from the comfort of your home

[Via Google]