Google Street View goes underwater with panoramas of Great Barrier Reef

Google Street View has allowed users to explore cities from street level, investigate inside famous landmarks, and venture to remote places they might not otherwise have access to. Now, users can get a rare look inside some of the world's oceans.

A new partnership between Google and The Catlin Seaview Survey has resulted in panoramic photos of six coral reefs from Google Maps using Street View, Mashable reports.

[ Related: Google Street View seeks to give people a rare look at Nunavut ]

This video gives you a sample of what you'll be able to see for yourself:

"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," Google announced on its blog. "Now, anyone can become the next virtual Jacques Cousteau and dive with sea turtles, fish and manta rays."

Check out their full collection of panoramic images at maps.google.com/oceans.

Google's partner, The Catlin Seaview Survey, is conducting a scientific study of the coral reefs. The team is taking images of the full Great Barrier Reef, which will be analyzed and freely distributed to the scientific community.

[ More from The Right Click: Happy birthday Android: what Google's mobile OS has accomplished in four years ]

The images from the Great Barrier Reef are also a part of Google's larger World Wonders Project, which takes users to famous locations around the world.

Part of me can't help but wonder if this is a jab at Apple's new Maps in iOS6, which seems to dump users in the middle of an ocean when they're sometimes looking for locations on dry land. At least this way, there's something worth seeing while you're out there.