Exactly one year after she was swept out to sea and presumed lost forever, a porcelain sculpture from Margaret River’s REDSEA Gallery has been found again — resting quietly on the ocean floor off Gnarabup Beach.
The remarkable discovery has sparked fascination among gallery staff and the local community, turning what began as an unfortunate accident into an unexpected story about art, nature and the passage of time.
The sculpture was one of a collection of porcelain figures affectionately known by gallery staff as the “Swimming Women”.
In June last year, three of the sculptures were taken to Gnarabup Beach for a promotional photo shoot. During the shoot, one of the delicate ceramic figures was unexpectedly swept away by the ocean.
Despite immediate efforts to recover her, the sculpture disappeared beneath the waves.
The gallery appealed to the public at the time in the hope someone might find her, but no trace of the artwork was ever discovered. That was on June 19, 2025.
A year later, almost to the day, the story took an extraordinary turn.
A visitor to REDSEA Gallery recently mentioned that someone they knew had spotted a ceramic figure while snorkelling off Gnarabup Beach. The sculpture appeared partially buried in the sand beneath the water and had become part of the underwater landscape. The snorkeller had even taken a photograph.
“When they showed us the image, we were astonished to discover that it was our missing sculpture,” gallery spokesperson Tenille told the Mail.
The photograph revealed the porcelain woman still lying on the seafloor, apparently having survived a year of storms, currents and shifting sands.
Rather than attempting to retrieve the sculpture, the gallery has embraced the idea that she has found a new home beneath the waves.
“We’re not asking for anyone to recover or return the sculpture,” Tenille said.
“We see her as part of the marine environment now, and we’re simply fascinated to follow her journey and the life she may be creating beneath the surface.”
The gallery has now shared the story on its social media pages, including video footage and images of the missing artwork, and is inviting divers, snorkellers and ocean lovers to keep an eye out for her.
Anyone who spots the sculpture is encouraged to photograph or video it, and tag @redseagallery.au so the gallery can continue documenting her unusual journey.
“It seems she’s found a new home beneath the waves and has become part of the marine landscape at Gnarabup,” Tenille said.
The story has struck a chord because it feels uniquely Margaret River — a blend of art, coastline, chance and community curiosity.
For now, the missing Swimming Woman remains exactly where she is, resting beneath the waters off Gnarabup Beach, quietly writing the next chapter of a story nobody could have predicted.