I’m waiting at 60 feet with about 30 other divers while a 1,100-pound bronze statue called Guardian of the Reef dangles above us. Divetech co-owner Jay Easterbrook and his crew grapple with the statue at the surface, jockeying it into position so it can be placed atop its concrete pedestal.

I’ve come to witness the end of the Guardian’s journey to its new location off Grand Cayman’s Divetech Lighthouse Point Dive Resort’s dock. The statue is floating horizontally, attached to two heavy-duty lift bags, and the team is focused on getting it vertical. Guardian is a mythological creature — half ancient warrior and half seahorse — but right now, it looks more like a drunken dance partner being helped off the floor.

“I first started working on Guardian 10 years ago,” says Canadian artist Simon Morris. “And it’s now traveled 4,552 miles from British Columbia to Grand Cayman.” Morris and I accompany Guardian on its final leg of the journey, from its topside home at Lighthouse Point to a sand flat just 200 yards offshore. But it must take a circuitous route: It’s secured with heavy-duty webbing straps and loaded onto a truck where it’s taken to George Town Harbour. Next it’s attached to lift bags and dropped into the water, and finally, a boat equipped with a crane tows it to the reef off Divetech’s Lighthouse Point house reef. I think I heard Morris exhale when the boat pulled away from the marina. I know I did.

“It’s intense — when he was in the air, time slowed down for me a bit,” Morris admits. “But this went well.”

And now Morris and I are patiently waiting on the bottom as the statue is slowly guided to its base. Finally, Guardian is in place, and the team works to secure the bolts. There is underwater clapping, and high fives are exchanged as camera strobes fire, recording another moment in the island’s proud legacy as a beacon for marine conservation.

Party On, Guardian

Image Courtesy Divetech

Before its sinking, Guardian of the Reef is the star attraction at a party celebrating Divetech’s 20th anniversary. Simon Morris, the sculptor, jokes that “he was really hard to work on — he’s very tall, and I’m very short.”

The statue’s hefty size matches its purpose, as explained by Divetech co-owner Nancy Easterbrook. “This year Divetech is 20 years old,” she says. “I thought we should do something more permanent to celebrate the anniversary, something we could dedicate to ocean conservation and our local youth. The Guardian will symbolize our need to safeguard our reefs. And for every dive made on Guardian, we will donate a dollar to our conservation program for youths.”

Morris echoes Easterbrook’s sentiments. “He has only 200 more yards to go — and then he will elevate people’s understanding of ocean conservation.”

To donate to Divetech’s ocean conservation program for local youth — West Bay Eco Warriors — email [email protected].