Saint LuciaTravel Divers visiting Saint Lucia get new Anse La Verdure sculpture dive site in November
A new underwater sculpture park at Anse La Verdure on Saint Lucia's south-west coast is due to be ready for scuba divers in November. The site, featuring 31 sculptures, becomes the island's 23rd designated dive site.
Scuba divers visiting Saint Lucia will have a new attraction to explore from November, when an underwater sculpture park at Anse La Verdure on the island's south-west coast is due to be ready. The site becomes the 23rd dive location designated around the island, according to the St Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA), and is the first stage of a wider three-part underwater park project.
Key facts
- Opening: expected to be ready for divers in November
- Location: Anse La Verdure, south-west coast of Saint Lucia
- Depth: sculptures placed about 11m down
- Collection: 31 sculptures in an installation called "Below Saint Lucia"
- Developer: fabrication company DeepBlueSea
- Status: the island's 23rd designated dive site
What can divers see there?
The collection, named "Below Saint Lucia", features 31 sculptures intended to honour the people whose courage, vision and contributions helped shape the nation, the SLTA says. The figures and groups represented are linked to the end of the slavery era, war fighters, entrepreneurs, cultural preservers, community leaders and other trailblazers.
One sculpture commemorates Petronille Dwine, who was killed in 1833 for resisting enslavement. A single living person is represented: Dame Pearlette Louisy, Saint Lucia's longest-serving former governor-general.
How was the park built?
The installation was developed by fabrication company DeepBlueSea and appears to follow the approach pioneered by British underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, with structures designed to support coral growth and change in appearance over time.
The sculptures sit about 11m deep and are described as eco-friendly. They are made from marine-grade Portland cement, graded aggregate, washed sand, and mineral additives and fibres, with reinforcement combining 316 marine-grade stainless steel and glass fibre.
What else is planned?
The Anse La Verdure site is only the first phase of a three-part underwater park concept, the SLTA says, with later locations intended to cater for snorkellers as well as scuba divers. The second phase looks likely to be an installation at Anse Ferre in Ciceron, just south of the capital, Castries.
Tourism minister Ernest Hilaire said community participation would be "pivotal to the development and operation" of the attraction.
What this means for travellers
Divers planning a trip to Saint Lucia around November can add Anse La Verdure to their list of sites to ask about locally. Anyone interested in the wider project should note that the later phases, including sites for snorkellers, have not been given completion dates.
No exact opening day in November has been announced, and the source gives no details of dive fees, operators or access arrangements.