Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest
Every year, the Sea Horse Dive Club holds an underwater pumpkin carving contest on Alki Beach, usually the last Sunday before Halloween. Although underwater pumpkin carving is not thought of as a spectator sport by the uninitiated, it can be very exciting, as dive teams struggle to haul their (very bouyant) pumpkin to a depth of 10 feet before they're allowed to puncture it and begin creating their masterpieces. Fins thrash wildly in the air, and errant gourds often escape their handlers erupt from the depths, providing amusement to spectators on shore. In the past, this event has seen world records set as Sea Horse Team Giant Pumpkin successfully submerged and carved a pumpkin weighing over 300 lbs!
There are categories for everybody, so come on and take a stab at it... The categories are: Biggest Pumpkin, Scariest, Most Creative, Best Use of Sea Life, and Best used as Pumpkin Pie (which usualy gets the traditional gift certificate from Pegasus Pizza).
Other categories are made up as required until we run out of prizes. One winning pumpkin per category. The same pumpkin cannot be used to win two or more categories.
Details, Details...
The contest is held at the Alki shelter house on Harbor avenue, West Seattle. The shelter house is just west of the Daughter of Liberty statue and across from Pegasus Pizza.
Registration for the event is between 9 AM and 9:45 AM. Dive briefing is at 9:45 AM. Water entry is at 10 AM. Late arrivals will not be extended additional time to carve their pumpkins. Judging will take place after all contestants are safely out of the water.
Da Rules:
- You cannot puncture the pumpkin until you get to a depth of 10 feet.
- You can draw images on the pumpkin ahead of time.
- You can use almost any carving tools available to you, although corded electric and gas powered tools are discouraged.
- Water entry at 10 AM. You must have your pumpkin out of the water and ready for judging at 11 AM.
- It is acceptable to leave the seeds and other loose organic material at sea. We expect your pumpkin to be biodegradable.
- Winners of each category are determined by the noise level of the crowd. So bring several people to get your gourd nominated or bribe and encourage your fellow competitors to vote for your artwork.
So bring your gear, your gourd, your creativity, and your friends and join us in this Sea Horse tradition.