Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Take A Virtual Tour Of The Gowanus From The Safety Of Your Desk Chair
By
Lauren Evans
Published Apr 8, 2015
Modified Apr 8, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 8
By
Lauren Evans
Published Apr 8, 2015
Modified Apr 8, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Taking a dip in the Gowanus Canal is a great idea if you're trying to find a quick, efficient way of contracting Legionnaires, or if you're a marine mammal on a suicide mission. In general, though, the smell alone is enough to keep most would-be bathers the hell away, but...it would be neat to see what's down there, right?
Luckily, researchers with the Brooklyn Atlantis Project have created a nifty unmanned surface vehicle equipped to navigate the canal's syphilitic "waters," with the goal primarily of retrieving "water" quality data, and more recently, 360° panoramic images.
The images—the result of three outings over the course of February—have been published in Google Views and Maps. Is that an ice floe or a plastic bag or a radioactive jelly fish? Who can say! In Maps, users can find the "photospheres" by toggling the yellow street-view "pegman," and zooming close enough to see the blue dots in the "water."

Go ahead, get in there!
Tagged
brooklyn atlantis project
Gowanus
gowanus canal
original
Lauren Evans
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
New York’s House delegation will include 20 Democrats and six Republicans
The Associated Press has now called a winner in all 26 of New York's congressional districts.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Nov 8, 2026 at 1:03 p.m. ET
Jazz Age fashions return to Governor’s Island for the Lawn Party's fall edition
Several hundred people sporting their Prohibition-era best danced it up on Governor's Island this weekend.
By
Stephanie Keith
News
Jazz Age fashions return to Governor’s Island for the Lawn Party's fall edition
Several hundred people sporting their Prohibition-era best danced it up on Governor's Island this weekend.
By
Stephanie Keith
Brooklyn woman killed after tumbling from a moving SUV on the BQE near Brooklyn Bridge
By
Michael Sol Warren
Mamdani expands free produce programs for New Yorkers on SNAP
By
Karen Yi
Federal judge rules Mamdani administration must give ICE names of Bronx shelter residents
By
Willow Higgins
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .