Monterey, California: Cannery Divers Memorial

2008 monument honors the divers and tenders who installed and maintained the canneries' underwater sardine pipes and pumps. Two divers died.

The statue is smaller than I thought it would be. There is a plaque that gives some of the history of Monterey's cannery divers.

Located on Monterey's famous Cannery Row is a memorial to ten hardhat divers and their tenders who once serviced the sardine industry. The divers worked on installing and repairing underwater pipes that transported the fish from floating pens to the canneries on shore. Sadly, two of the divers died in service to the world famous industry that made Monterey "The Sardine Capital of the World."

The bronze dive helmet sculpture on the memorial is a classic Morse Mark V helmet, a standard of the commercial dive industry for over 100 years and still available today.