16th Annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving

When you think of fall, you think of shorter days, longer nights, cooler weather and sweaters, and pumpkin carving. What’s more fun than pumpkin carving? Underwater pumpkin carving. Yes, you read that correctly. Not only are you scuba diving, but you are underwater with a buoyant pumpkin trying to keep it down all while trying to carve the winning pumpkin.

Sunday, October 6th, 2013, seventeen divers tried just that. The contest started at 1 pm. They were allowed 45 minutes or a low pressure of 500psi whichever came first. The pumpkins had to be as you purchased them from the store, therefore no markings, no patterns, no traces of cuts anywhere.

Kim Brungard and I went around trying to snap photos of all the participants. Have you ever tried snapping photos in pumpkin gut filled waters? Definitely not as easy as I thought it would be.

At the 45 minute mark, the duck call was blown and all participants surfaced. Aerielle Cupp and Emma La Due took each participant’s pumpkin and gave it a number 1-17. Then all participants got the chance to vote for their favorite.

After a group photo was taken, it was time to announce the winners.

1st Place went to Dan Hayworth, 2nd Place went to Mark Willoughby, 3rd Place went to Chris Parrish

Best Effort went to Dave Eaves, Ugliest Pumpkin went to Dennis Duncan

All participants received a t-shirt from Extreme Sports Scuba.

After the pumpkin carving awards were handed out, it was time for a drawing. Tickets were purchased for $1 apiece and thrown into the fishbowl. All the kids took turns drawing out numbers for the prize winners. Extreme Sports Scuba then donated $110 to DAN (Divers Alert Network). If you haven’t yet heard what DAN is, they research Diving Medicine.

A special thanks goes to Extreme Sports Scuba and Grady and Deb Weston for sponsoring this fun event.

We would also like to thank Kathy Bennett, Aerielle & Pokey Cupp, Dan La Due, Doug Lord, and Mark and Nicole Willoughby for your help as well. Also thank you to the Stockton Lake Park Ranger for allowing us to move the pumpkin carving to Stockton Lake.

As always, this was a fun event and we hope that you will partake in the future.

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