Our Sunday afternoon trips down to the jetty in Simon’s Town, ice cream in hand, have become more interesting since the unveiling of a beautiful bronze statue of a navy standby diver. For about a week before the big day, the statue was concealed by a huge wooden box, leading to much speculation!
The statue was unveiled just before Christmas 2014, and was sculpted by Otto du Plessis. Its design, fundraising to pay for it, and eventual unveiling to the general public was a lengthy process that was pursued by a group of dedicated volunteers, drawn from the fraternity of ex SA Navy divers.
A tour of the SA Navy diving facility in Simon’s Town at a DAN day in 2013 showed us just what a high standard of training these divers receive. They are a credit to South Africa and to the navy. You can read more about the statue here. It’s already a very popular landmark, and groups of divers and passers-by often pose for photographs with the stoic, bronze gentleman keeping watch at the end of the jetty.
