Aficionados of the weird enjoyed last Sunday's underwater pumpkin carving contest in Davis Bay.
After all, it's hard enough to carve these bulletproof gourds in the air. Imagine doing it 40 feet underwater, in low visibility, with a pointy knife that could puncture your dry gloves or even worse, drysuit. To make matters worse Ñ pumpkins are really buoyant. This means they rocket to the surface unless they are held underwater with lead weights."There's a technique to sinking a pumpkin," explained Janet Bennie, who has taken part in the annual pumpkin carving contest for the last six years.
But because a good method for downing a pumpkin is part of a diver's competitive advantage, Bennie wouldn't share her procedure. (I did notice that her pumpkin was in a net bag.) As for carving tools, according to Bennie, drywall saws are an excellent choice.
Gibsons diver Bill Rostron picked a small pumpkin with minimal flotation that he could easily hold underwater. Capilano College scuba dive instructor student Jesse Bueckert had the largest pumpkin and had to wear an extra weight belt to compensate for its buoyancy. "It was tough," he said. "I kept falling on my head."
Adding a little challenge to a tough task, Wayne Plimmer, Mike Bentley and Dave Carr geared up in historical hardhat diving gear to carve their gourds. It took Bob Crawford and Rob Bennie an hour and a half to set up the generator, communication system and airlines for the divers. Gearing up takes an additional half hour and involves bolting down a 40-pound brass helmet, donning two 30-pound, lead-soled boots and strapping on a nearly 100-pound weight belt.
When asked what the prerequisites are for hardhat diving, Crawford replied, "No fear or common sense."
Judges Ruth and Tony Holmes from Suncoast Diving brought hot chocolate and cookies for all participants and bystanders, as well as prizes for every underwater carver. The overall winner of the event was Capilano College scuba dive instructor student Sarah Park, whose pumpkin featured a carved scuba mask.
