Google Maps Goes Scuba Diving

Want to go underwater at the Great Barrier Reef, but not into scuba diving? Thanks to Google Maps, now you can—virtually. Google added its first underwater panoramas to Google Maps yesterday, meaning "Street View"—at least in certain places—shows turtles and manta rays instead of, you know, streets. The company says its just the next step in providing "the most comprehensive, accurate and usable map of the world."

It's also an opportunity to conduct a detailed study of coral reefs and how they're faring, CNET reports. Google partnered with the Catlin Seaview Survey on the project; the survey continuously took thousands of panoramic pictures underwater in order to create a virtual scuba diving experience. (More Google stories.)