Artist Dennis MacDonald intended to make a splash in the dive community and put Deerfield Beach, Florida, on the scuba map in a bigger way.

Instead, his giant sculptures, inspired by the famed heads of Easter Island, made waves of a different kind. MacDonald had spent four months crafting the 15 pieces out of concrete. On June 7, it took minutes for that dream to come to a sudden end when the barge carrying the Polynesian-style works overturned. The statues, ranging from 6 to 22 feet tall, slid of and tumbled 70 feet below the surface. Only one remains intact; all others were destroyed. Local media quoted organizers who speculate that the barge might have been tipped by waves from a tug being used to position it. The barge’s owners refute that, suggesting the barge was too top-heavy.

What was meant to be a one-of-a-kind sculpture garden and habitat for fish and coral is now a mishmash of concrete and rebar. The barge, 150 feet long by 45 feet wide, is completely upside down, with a lot of debris underneath. Despite the letdown, organizers say they vow to complete the $500,000 project; MacDonald is already sketching new plans.

“The first 24 hours after the sinking was just numbness,” MacDonald says. “But now it’s excitement again, knowing we are going to complete this project.”

Currently, due to the unstable barge and plenty of jagged edges, it is not a safe dive site.

“I would caution any divers from penetrating the structure,” says Howie Grapek, who has been diving for the past 30 years and photographed the underwater wreckage the day of the mishap. “It is definitely too early for fish to accumulate, so as of now, it is not really a good dive destination.”

For more information and to follow the project, visit the Recreate Rapa Nui Reef Facebook page.