The Man Behind the Mermaid

Some people have hobbies, others have obsessions and still others do work that is a labor of love. Simon Morris is one of those in the last group.A product development manager for Scubapro, the 42-year-old Canadian has become a world-class sculptor. He is the creative force behind the bronze mermaid statue that was submerged just off the reef at Sunset House Resort on Grand Cayman.Sport Diver: How long did it take you to create the mermaid?Morris: Well, the entire process was more than 18 months, including casting. The actual sculpting took about 500 to 700 hours.Sport Diver: She's not your first though.Morris: No, the first is in the Powell River north of Vancouver. She was put in place 11 years ago.Sport Diver: But this one is the last.Morris: Yes she is. We accidentally cracked the mold during the production process, so there won't be any more originals made from that cast.Sport Diver: What does this placement mean for you? Morris: This is huge, really, bigger than the first one, in a way. The first was memorable simply because it was the first. But she is in cold water in an area that only attracts a moderate number of divers, and many of those are local. This one, though, is different. Grand Cayman attracts over a million people a year, and most come to dive. And she's accessible from the shore, so divers can do it easily any time during their vacation here. The Caribbean conditions are really key, though.Sport Diver: How so?Morris: The one in Canada is in 42-degree water, so divers touch her with thick gloves on, so they're still somewhat removed from her. In these warm waters, divers will be able to touch her with their bare hands. I think that helps them to connect with her. While she was on land here at Sunset House, you would see people walk up to her, run their hands over her and walk away smiling.Sport Diver: You almost weren't able to dive during her placement.Morris: I had a decompression sickness incident after a dive back in September. The statue was supposed to be placed about a month ago, but Hurricane Keith came through and caused us to postpone it. That turned out to be to my benefit, since I'm just now able to get back into diving. Sport Diver: What's next for you?Morris: I'm talking to several resort owners at locations around the world about commissions for their sites. I'd love to see statues all across the Caribbean and at dive sites around the world.To see more of Simon Morris' work check out his web site For more on the Sunset House...