It might have looked like a Halloween slasher movie, but these scuba divers were competing for prizes.
Carving a pumpkin typically creates a mess on the kitchen table. But take a giant gourd 35 feet underwater and new challenges arise.
Trapping a pumpkin with his legs to keep it from floating back to the surface, Clayton Bush starts carving with a dive knife Saturday. Some divers used store-bought pumpkin carving tools. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)
This annual tradition at Island Divers Hawaii was started almost a decade ago by Matt Zimmerman, then-owner of the Hawaii Kai business. “It’s a great outing to build relationships in our community; club divers get to know staff members in a fun and relaxed atmosphere,” said new owner Brady Thomas. “I wanted to keep the tradition going.”
With little to no current, contestants drop 35 feet to the sea floor at the Koko Crater dive site below the boat. The dive company uses this site for the contest because of its sandy bottom to avoid damaging reef, corals and other flora and fauna. It’s about a 10-minute sail from the dive shop’s Hawaii Kai storefront and boat dock. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)A diver follows the outline for a jack-o’-lantern using store-bought tools. The knives, saws and picks are tethered to prevent them from floating away. Divers could outline their cuts before getting in the water. One of the loosely enforced rules of the contest is that cutting and carving are prohibited above water. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)Emily Boutain, left, braces her pumpkin against the sandy floor to keep it from squirming away as she pushes her carving tool into the gourd. The constant buoyancy interrupts Gem Eastep’s progress. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)Pumpkin seeds and pulp float around the group. Costumes were strongly encouraged. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)Sophie Bulatovic sports cat ears. Fish surround her for a treat as she cleans out her pumpkin. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)Island Divers Hawaii divemasters Julie Furletti, left, and Adrian Fouts, carved their pumpkins into wearable headgear. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)Furletti’s jack-o’-lantern helmet is illuminated as she wrangles divers back to the surface. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)Javier Martinez of Ewa Beach slowly surfaces with his dive light inside his jack-o’-lantern. He won the first-place prize of a two-tank dive on one of the dive shop’s charters. (Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024)
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