Frequently asked questions about The Deepwater Diving Monument

Updated 10th June 2022

Q. How will the Monument be funded?

A. There are two ways in which the project is funded:

Sales of 300 Limited Edition Fine-Art Statuettes for the art and diving industries.
Restricted Tax-deductible donations through Santa Barbara Maritime Museum which are used for all site preparations, construction, sculpting and casting of the actual ten-foot Monument.

Q. Are gifts through Santa Barbara Maritime Museum tax deductible?

A. Absolutely. As an audited fiduciary for the project and a fully accredited museum by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), SBMM is a charitable organization under US Internal Revenue Service code 501 (c) (3). Each donation to the Monument Project made through the website will receive an automated receipt for your gift for tax purposes.

Q. How large are the statues?

A. Each statue will be approx 54cm (over 21") including the granite base. approx 20KG (44lbs) in weight. (to put this in context the average 5 year old weighs just 17KG!!)

Q. Are these made out of resin?

A. Absolutely not, these are highly detailed bronze metal statues cast by the same fine art foundry on contract to deliver the full-size Monument.

Q. How much will a statuette cost?

A. The sale price of each statuette is $5,500 plus insured shipping from the USA.

Q. Is a Statuette purchase tax deductible?

A. Statuette purchases as such, are not tax-deductible under IRS rules since an item of value is being purchased. However, individuals and businesses may be able to depreciate expenses and purchases over time. Check with your accountant to research current rules regarding deductible expenses.

Q. Who is the sculptor who has been commissioned to complete this work?

A. The sculptor commissioned to produce the Monument is the same extremely talented artist Greg Polutanovich who produced the Mk V Monument for the US Armed Forces and the Military Diver Memorial for Military Divers.

Q. I already own one of the MkV Monument statuettes and/or a Military Diver Memorial statuettes and would like to purchase the same limited edition number, is this possible?

A. Absolutely, 300 limited edition numbers are available for sale, they will, however, be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Therefore the advice is to place your order early to avoid disappointment.

Q. When will the statuettes be shipped?

A. We currently have a small stock of statuettes ready to ship however each piece takes up to 12 weeks to produce.

Q. How are the statuettes made?

A. There is a walkthrough of the process on the Monument Projects Ltd website: www.monumentprojects.com

Q. Why was Santa Barbara chosen as the location for the Monument?

A. Santa Barbara has long been recognised as the home of deepwater diving click HERE to read more.

Q. Who is building the Monument?

A. Monument Projects Ltd. have been chosen to build the monument. With the experience of building diving monuments in the past and the fact that two of the directors are former Royal Navy Mine Clearance Divers, they were felt to be the best partners for the project.