How can you explore deep-water ecosystems without getting wet?

What if you can’t swim, scuba dive or snorkel, but still want to see what it looks like on the bottom of the ocean floor, deep in a coral reef or amid a long-ago sunken ship? With virtual dive galleries from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Sanctuaries program, now you can do all that without even leaving home.

All that’s needed is an Internet connection and a computer or smartphone — and a virtual reality (VR) headset for extra immersion — and to select a gallery to dive in. Currently available for underwater exploration are protected sanctuaries in American Samoa, the Florida Keys, Flower Garden Banks in the Gulf of Mexico, Gray’s Reef off the Georgia Coast, and Thunder Bay in Michigan's Lake Huron, all with multiple 360-degree views that let you feel like you’re really there and are close enough to touch the coral or swim through sunken ships.

Some views also let users see the impact climate change is having on these fragile ecosystems, such as 360 photos of coral in the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa before, during and after bleaching.