A new version of Google Earth (5.0) launched yesterday allows users to dive into the ocean and also travel back in time – as well as visit Mars.
Google Inc announced yesterday the launch of ‘Ocean in Google Earth’, a new feature that enables users to explore 3D underwater terrain and browse ocean-related content contributed by top ocean scienctists. There are videos from the archives of Jacques Cousteau, featuring never-before-seen footage of historic ocean expeditions
Virtual travelers to Hawaii, for example, can examine underwater volcanoes, see videos about the exotic marine life of the region, read about nearby shipwrecks and contribute photos and videos of favorite surf spots.
‘The first Google Map layer shows the fish that can be caught without risk of depleting stocks,’ said a spokesman for the Marine Conservation Society one of the new partners in the project.
The new version of Google Earth also introduces Historical Imagery, a feature that enables users to virtually travel back in time through archival satellite and aerial imagery. For example, you can watch the melting of the largest glacier in Glacier National Park?the Grinnell Glacier?image by image, for the last decade.
The new version of Google also includes ‘Mars 3D’, which features hi-res imagery and terrain of the red planet.
Google Earth 5.0 is now available in 41 languages (previously 26).
Google Earth can be downloaded for free at http://earth.google.com 

See a demonstration of Google Ocean in the video below: