Girl in a Wetsuit, Bronze sculpture at Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada

Girl in a Wetsuit is a life-size bronze sculpture in Stanley Park that shows a woman in a diving suit with flippers and a mask resting on her forehead. The artwork sits on a granite boulder along the park's northern shore between other historic features.

Elek Imredy proposed a life-size scuba diver for the site rather than a copy of Copenhagen's Little Mermaid, and the bronze was made in 1972. The idea drew what the sculptor recalled as tremendous opposition and great controversy, though he said he never learned why. Scuba diving was becoming popular in Vancouver at the time.

The figure shows how people in Vancouver connected with the ocean and recreational diving activities that grew in the region. You see a woman in diving gear that reflects the local passion for water sports.

The sculpture sits on a rock along Stanley Park's northern shore and is easy to find when following the path past other waterfront monuments. The granite base and waterside location make it a natural stopping point during a walk through the park.

Imredy said he deliberately avoided copying Copenhagen's Little Mermaid, proposing instead a life-size scuba diver because diving was becoming popular in Vancouver and he knew of no similar sculpture anywhere. The proposal met what he called tremendous opposition and great controversy, the reason for which he said he still did not know.