How to Carve a Pumpkin Underwater While SCUBA Diving

https://youtu.be/-CapAAyWT7A

In a very seasonal video promoting the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, dive safety coordinator Halle Minshall explained the step-by-step process of carving pumpkins underwater while scuba diving.

If you think carving a prize-winning pumpkin is difficult, try doing it underwater. Greater Cleveland Aquarium Dive Safety Coordinator Halle M. explains what makes carving underwater such a challenge and why it’s still so much fun.

Minshall explained that the divers cut off the stems before descending down to 15 feet below the surface of White Star Quarry.

Our divers are allowed to scoop out their pumpkins and open their tops before they enter the water. Once they’ve entered the water though, if they or their pumpkins surface they have to get out. Divers have a maximum of 2 hours to complete their carving. When everyone is finished, the jack-o-lanterns are displayed, judged and winners are selected.  

The Underwater Pumpkin Carving event, which is sponsored by Professional Diving Resources in Cleveland, Ohio, takes place on an annual basis and anyone with diving certification can participate, although it is challenging.

Carving underwater is a challenge. Just imagine you’re one of us. You’re diving. You have your wetsuit, your mask, all of your equipment, weights and a SCUBA cylinder. You also have a pumpkin that’s constantly trying to float away from you and you’re using a big dive knife to try to to cut small details into a gourd. It definitely takes a lot of patience and attention to detail to do a good job.

Underwater Pumpkin Carving

via Boing Boing

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.