Saint Lucia is making a landmark addition to its global tourism profile with the creation of its first-ever underwater sculpture park, a project designed to boost dive tourism and celebrate the island nation’s distinct cultural and historical legacy. Ahead of the permanent underwater installation, the country is opening a rare public preview of the completed artworks this weekend, giving local residents the first chance to engage with a project co-created by Saint Lucian creators themselves.
Three distinct underwater zones will make up the broader park network once complete: a dedicated Dive Park for certified diving enthusiasts, a Snorkel Park accessible to casual visitors, and a Conservation Park focused on marine ecological protection. When installed, the Dive Park’s sculptures will be submerged off the coast of Anse La Verdue in the Canaries district, becoming a new anchor for the island’s growing adventure tourism sector.
The pre-installation preview will run on Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30, hosted at Odsan Warehouse, a venue located directly opposite the Odsan Playing Field. The event is open exclusively to local Saint Lucians first, reflecting the project’s community-centered origins.
Unlike many large-scale tourist attractions developed by external stakeholders, this underwater park was shaped directly by Saint Lucian creativity. In 2024, the Ministry of Tourism launched a national Storyboard Competition, calling on local artists and community members to submit ideas rooted in the country’s own stories of history and heritage. Three creators took top honors in the competition: Ted Sandiford won the Culture and History category, Jalim Eudovic claimed victory in the Heritage category, and Sheree Emmanuel was named the overall competition winner. All winning concepts were developed into the physical sculptures that will form the core of the underwater park.
Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire emphasized that the project represents far more than a new economic driver for the island’s tourism industry. “We asked Saint Lucians to help tell the story of Saint Lucia, and our artists and community creatives contributed the ideas from which these sculptures were developed,” Hilaire explained. “We are therefore not simply presenting Saint Lucia to the world; we are allowing Saint Lucians to define how our history and heritage are presented to the world.”
Hilaire outlined his vision for the long-term impact of the underwater park, noting that it will bring entirely new, culturally rooted offerings to Saint Lucia’s tourism sector. “My hope is that when people dive into this park, they will not only discover our history, but leave with a deeper appreciation for the resilience of our people, the richness of our culture and the responsibility we all share to protect our heritage for generations to come,” he said.
The initiative is part of a broader strategy to grow Saint Lucia’s dive tourism market, creating new visitor opportunities while centering local narrative and cultural ownership, a model that other Caribbean tourism destinations have increasingly embraced in recent years.