As virtual-reality programs advance in quality, innovators are looking to replicate the experiences divers know well. Here are three projects that take you under the sea without having to get wet.

Dive at the Surface

A huge part of the thrill of diving is feeling weightless. Students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology created a simulator, called Amphibian, designed to give those unable to dive that sensation. All you have to do is pop on an Oculus Rift headset and hop into the suspended harness system, which is designed to create the feelings of changing buoyancy and temperature, and includes an airbag that rises and falls with the user’s breathing.

Gaming for a Cause

The Crystal Reef, a virtual-reality experience that combines 360-degree video and interactive first-person gaming, was designed to strengthen nondivers’ connection to the ocean. The experience shows users what the ocean floor could look like if acidification kills off coral reefs, allowing them the chance to collect samples and swim through (by making a swimming motion) a digital version of the reef.

Whale-Watching

The Click Effect — a virtual-reality video that is available through the VRSE smartphone app — is designed to emulate a bucket-list experience: freediving with sperm whales. See the highly intelligent creatures in their natural habitat as you swim alongside and hear their “click” communications.