Today we are going diving at the Sculpture Park

We headed out of the marina and under the bridge right by our resort and had to snap a picture.

There's not a prettier picture than seeing all the dive tanks lined up and waiting on us. I was getting so excited!

We had made it to our first stop THE SCULPTURE PARK!!!!! We pulled up and there was absolutely no one there! Like not one person, snorkeler or boat! We were going to have the entire place to ourselves! Now I'm really excited.

The area is roped off so that you know where everything is within the park. No boats can go in there and we "parked" right at the "entrance". We were given instructions about where we were going to get in, swim around the statues, and what to do after that. I had mentioned I also wanted to see the sunken things in the area as well. This was close but yet a little ways away. I had read they had a sunken helicopter and other things in the area and would love to see them. So, the plan was the statues and as long as we (and by we I mean those pesky Discover Scuba Divers) were doing good (I mean the hubby has done 26 Discover Dives and I think Karl has done 4 or 5 so far) then we would continue our dive by swimming over to where the sunken treasures were located. Daniel gave our instructor instructions to put our dive flag up once we were over there to signal that we had made it and he would drive the boat over to pick us up when we came up.

As we started to gear up us "now professional divers" (ah hem, Sakari and I) were told "You guys go ahead and get in and we will get the others ready". It felt so weird that we just suited up and went in on our own and waited for the others. Such a different feeling. Well you didn't have to tell me twice and in I went. Next up was Sakari in her fresh new wet suit we bought back home. She looks so cute in it. (Notice the guys aren't even ready lol)

Once all of us were in and ready to dive, off we went. Daniel was staying on the boat and we had another girl with us as the dive instructor. She would NOT allow the hubby to have a camera or the GoPro with him on "the first dive" to make sure he was "concentrating and doing good on the dive". If he did, then he would be able to take it on the second dive. 🙄😳 We have never been told that we can't take our camera's or GoPro. I found this very odd seeing how she was well aware that he's already done this 26 times! If I wasn't certified at this dive and she told me that, I would have completely cancelled the dive. I'm not going anywhere without my camera's. So that meant I would just take the camera (since we are down one after the other camera took a crap last vacation) and Sakari agreed to take the GoPro this time.

Now I'm going to bombard you with pictures of the Under SXM sculpture park. It was absolutely AMAZING down there and so much to see. It was just what I had hoped for. I will try to give any history/information on anything as I go along...because you know that's how I am.

The underwater sculpture park cost $1.2 million to create and opened in December of 2023. It was developed by a UK-based company named Deep Blue Sea. It is located in around 20ft (6m) of water. Here are some pictures of the sculptures when they were created: (not my pictures)

They captured a picture of real life locals standing next to their sculpture:

Now on to our pictures.

The Taino Tribe: The First Settlers on St Maarten features over 100 figurative sculptures portraying the Taino people's history, art and beauty. The Taino were an Arawak-speaking tribe from South America.

Sakari was busy off getting footage for me with the GoPro and winding her way around all the sculptures. I was really hoping for the best because when she had the GoPro when we were back home in the quarry getting certified...let's just say I ended up with a lot of footage of the GoPro turned on and dangling from her arm upside down. 🤷‍♀️

So far so good with the GoPro. I have to say I like the way the pictures turned out.

Guardians of the Ocean: The line of warriors stand as guardians of the Taino family. They symbolize the protection, loyalty, and the deep-rooted importance of family to the people of St Maarten. They reflect the island's strong cultural ties, where family is at the heart of the community, and locals take pride in their heritage, embracing a spirit of love, respect and unity.

Oysters all over this sculpture:

Unity: Two Cultures, One Island. The fabled story of how the Dutch and French drew the borders of St Martin/Sint Maarten tells of a Dutch and French explorer standing back to back before setting off along the coast in opposite direction. The Frenchman, drinking wine, covered more ground than the Dutchman, who drank gin and when they finally met again, the borders were set-giving France the larger share of the island.

Ponum: Honoring the Emancipation of St Maarten. Ponum was conceived to honor the emancipation of the island's people, symbolizing a pivotal moment in the island's history. Inspired by the petals of St Maarten's iconic Flamboyance Tree, the dancers sway and shuffle to the beat of the drummers, with each configuration capturing expressions of exuberance, relief and hope.

Carnival: Celebrating the vibrancy of the people: The Carnival scene is a vibrant celebration of joy, unity, and cultural expression celebrated in St Maarten. These sculptures bring to life the dynamic spirit of the Carnival, an event renowned for its exuberant parades, pulsating music and captivating dance: featuring some of the island's very own musical master, such as King Beau Beau, DJ Outkast and King James.

We spotted a Trunkfish hanging out with these girls. I guess it liked the view.

Then a Filefish was also there:

So about this time...my camera battery dies. Are you fricken kidding me? Just my luck. I was having the best time capturing these sculptures and it says dead battery. UGH! I just can't win today! However...for the rest of this dive, I would wait a few minutes and then try to turn it back on and it would work long enough for me to get a few pictures and then it would turn off again. But, at least I was getting some. That just meant I would have to hang out in the area a little longer than I normally would in order to wait for it to come back on.

Well Karl is having a good time!

Sakari, what are you doing all the way up there? Get down here and take more video's.

There were a lot of fish hanging out in this area. I guess those boxes became their condominium.

Home of the Blackbar Soldierfish:

We looked up and there were a whole school of Needlefish above us. They were just everywhere.

)

Time for a selfie and awww, Karl kissed her hand:

The Fallen Wall: Facing challenges and rebuilding together. The island's history has been marked by events that have tested the resolve of it's people time and time again. Yet, in the face of these challenges, the island has emerged stronger, demonstrating its capacity to rebuild and adapt. At the heart of the gallery is a fallen wall featuring the work of renown street artist Lilly Hinckfoot, surrounded by sculptures of thirty different nationalities. With the islands diverse communities working together in a restorative even to rebuild, this is a beautiful illustration of the cultural diversity and social cohesion that defines St Maarten.

There was an anemone underneath this sculpture

Sakari went in close since once again, my camera died. She was able to capture a good picture of another Arrow Crab by the anemone.

Behind this was a sculpture of someone that looked like they were trying to push the wall up.

Well, we were at the end of the sculpture park. It was amazing and everything I had hoped for and more. The only gripe I would have is the area that we went in, they said it was the "entrance" however, I felt like it needed to be at the other end because all the sculptures were facing the other direction. So, you got pictures of the backs of them or you had to swim past them and then turn around.

After this dive we would continue on to another dive over by the SeaTrek, which had sunken items as well.

I think the instructor said the max depth there was 32'. My watch showed we were at 25' and we dove for 54 minutes. A new record for Karl not running out of air. Oh, and it was also 85° in the water as well.

Here's our video from the sculpture park and the SeaTrek area, filmed by Sakari and of course edited by me. I hope you enjoy it.ed out of the marina and under the bridge right by our resort and had to snap a picture.

There's not a prettier picture than seeing all the dive tanks lined up and waiting on us. I was getting so excite