After working on its sea legs for some time, Google Street View is ready to take users on virtual scuba expeditions through six living coral reefs with the first underwater panoramic images to hit the service. In partnership with The Catlin Seaview Survey, Mountain View created the on-rails snorkeling experiences using undersea pictures from Heron, Lady Elliot and Wilson Islands at the Great Barrier Reef, Molokini Crater and Hanauma Bay in Hawaii and the Apo Islands in the Philippines. Combined with views from Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan, the new underwater tours might make for a respectable, desk-based vacation. Interested in paddling through the briny depths? Head past the break for a short preview or hit the source links below to dive right in.

Continue reading Google Street View gets its first underwater panoramic images, ready for desk-based scuba expeditions (video)

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Google Street View gets its first underwater panoramic images, ready for desk-based scuba expeditions (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 01:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.