Over 30 divers joined together to participate in the 16th annual Amy Slate's Amoray Dive Resort Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest Sunday.
According to Associated Press, the divers fought against the buoyancy of the pumpkins and knives to compete 25 feet under water, about five miles off Key Largo.
The Miami Herald reports that the theme for this year's contest, determined by Captain Mike Daughinitis, was “anything that makes me smile. And that's hard to do today.”
The contestants had fun battling the unique carving environment. “It was hard to get the knife in the right spot,” said Alia Jones, 13. “And if you let the knife go, it would float away.”
After about 30 minutes, the carvers surfaced to have their pumpkins judged, but not before making sure everything was cleaned up. “We try to make sure the fish are not eating any pumpkins,” Amy Slate said. “We don’t want to change their diets or habits.”
Captain Mike determined the grand prize winner, who received a SCUBA trip for two – a pumpkin featuring large sunglasses and braces carved by mother and daughter Jaqueline and Jana Vandelaar.
Underwater pumpkin carving contests have been around since the 1980s in locations such as Kentucky, Ontario, Canada, San Diego and Seattle.