"Guardian of the Reef" sculptural artificial reef project.

The Reef Ball Foundation is collaborating with internationally known marine sculptor Simon Morris (creator of the mermaid "Amphitrite" in Grand Cayman) to install beautiful new artificial "Reef Ball" reefs with a sculptural center piece. The nine foot tall bronze mermaid installed at Sunset Reef in Grand Cayman received over US$ 300K in free media publicity in the first 4 months alone, and was voted the #1 shore dive on grand Cayman by the readers of Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine. The financial success of the mermaid project is now well known in the dive industry. The Guardian of the Reef project has been granted special status by the RFB to allow all resorts and destinations participating in the project to receive a US$ 35,000.00 credit towards the cost of any size reef ball system installed with the sculpture, at the FOUNDATION GRANT PRICING LEVEL and the project will be automatically approved for inclusion in the Foundation's Reefs Around the World Grant Program. "Guardian of the Reef" is over 12 feet/4metres tall, representing a mythological creature comprising the top half of a sentry wearing ancient Greco-Roman Armour & decorated breastplate, carrying a circular shield and a trident. At waist level, the sculpture morphs into a Sea Horse, the same way a mermaid is a morph between a human female and a fish. The guardian's helmet is a stylized sea horse head, and a dorsal fin protrudes from the back of the breastplate. The tail is coiled around a heavy bronze ring embedded in a Roman column which acts as his sentry post. The column is aged, and overgrown with encrusting sponge and coral, indicating the Guardian has been steadfast at his post, but forgotten. The symbolism reflects that the oceans need our protection, but are being neglected. The Reef Balls around him shows we are awakening to the need. The Guardian is the second piece in a series of oceanographic mythological figures that started with the mermaid, and will continue in a theme of such figures in underwater placements around the globe in years to come. The Guardian will qualify for listing in the Guinness Book of World records as the tallest bronze sculpture ever purposely placed in the ocean. The Guardian of the Reef sculpture, crated and ready to ship FOB Seattle Washington, is priced at US$ 100,000.00 INCLUDING the US$35,000.00 credit towards a Reef Ball system of your choice (molds or installed Reef Balls depending upon your location and choice). For more information, and a complete project outline including photographs of recent works, please contact the sculptor at: Simon Morris Sculpture, Inc. smorris@saltspring.com