Hey MICHIGAN Divers....

[Tractor Tom]

Underwater pumpkin carving at Lake Fenton beginning at 10:00 on Sunday the 26th. Pumkins from my farm, food and warm drinks and lots of nice folks to meet. Contribution is $20.00 and there are prizes. Drop me a line for directions or call the Dive Shop in Flint at 810-732-3900.

I guess me and my regular buddy (Cldwdiver) will be there to brave the waters of Lake Fenton. Hope some of you can show up too!

 

[Waterborne]

Hey Tom, is this going to be at the north shore entry? Since I missed the Gilboa trip, I planned on being there for this.

 

[Tractor Tom]

The Dive Shop in Flint uses that same little marina behind the firestation for all of their events. The only problem that I see with using it, is that parking is sometimes a problem with all the cars and folks that want to dive. Make sure to get there early for good parking....

 

[scuba_junkie]

Where exaclty are you going to be diving from? I did my OW sessions and a few other dives in Lake Fenton, but we entered the water by a little marina.. there is always a guy (and his dog) there who owns the property and we just gave him $5 for each car to park for the day. Right off the shore in about 25 feet of water is a sunken pontoon boat and lines that lead to other wrecks in the vicinity. Is this the same area you are referring to?

Also... I've heard of underwater pumpkin carving and know you need a buddy to do it, but exactly how do you go about it? I only ask this because I know how silty the bottom of that lake is, and it seems that going fully negative together, one diver holding the pumkin and the other doing the carving would be my guess. Or is it a little trickier than that, where you have to maintain a certain depth to avoid a silt-out. Just curious...

I'll see how that weekend looks. I might show up and join in the fun!

 

[Tractor Tom]

The pumpkin dive is a kind of "end of season" event each year for all but the serious diver.

In my experience, the carving is an individual process. Take your knife, a hollowed out pumpkin and head out into the water. Find a place on the bottom where it's hard or out on the platform (pontoon boat) cop a squat and carve away! The divers go out in pairs, with numbered pumpkins. Pumpkins are displayed after carving and prizes are awarded. The silt in the water will get a bit bad later in the day. Last year we had over 50 participants and a good time was had by all. (There was a 25mph wind blowing across the lake at us, and it was colder than the depths of hell on the surface, may have been warmer in the water.... I wasn't diving last year...)

 

[Waterborne]

there is always a guy (and his dog) there who owns the property and we just gave him $5 for each car to park for the day.

His name is John. Quite an interesting fellow he is.

Alright Tom, I'll be there for sure. Do we have to bring our own pumpkins? Also, are we allowed to bring multiple tools or just use our dive knives? Lastly, do we need to contact the dive shop to let them know we are coming or is it just show up and pay onsite?

See ya there!

 

[scuba_junkie]

John is definitely an interesting character. Nice enough guy for sure, but he is definitely a trip to chat with sometimes, as per my experience. That dog scares me though...

 

[Tractor Tom]

At the marina, unless you want to get tied up in a discussion that will last for hours and hear some of the craziest opinions...

OK, pumpkins (from my farm) are provided to the divers that pay their money ($20) when they get to the site to dive. Last year I saw a fellow go in with a whole basket full of tools along with a sketch on the face of the pumpkin of what he was going to do.

No real need to call the Dive Shop, as it's usually a 'first come, first served' kind of deal, and they usually have pumpkins to spare. Good idea to bring along a couple loose weights, or a good sized stone to put in the pumpkin for ballast as they are naturally bouyant and this years pumpkins will be kind of large (I don't have any small ones to send along). You can usually find a buddy to dive with if you ask around as many of the divers are 'singles' who come in for the event. Warming tent is provided, along with hot coffee, and soup and things to eat. Prizes this year include a Scubapro Mk 25/S600 regulator!

I'll be there. Look for a black fullsize Dodge Ram pickup with a black "Nothing Runs Like a Deere" tag on the front. Or, look for the tallest fellow in the crowd, 6'-4" 260lbs, very short grey hair, glasses, black and blue Viking Xtreme drysuit, with a black tank on a black packplate rig. Be sure to introduce yourself, I'm always happy to meet friends from the Scubaboard! I'll probably bring both my tanks and make two dives if someone needs a buddy after I've cut mine.

Look forward to meeting a couple of you!

 

[cldwdiver]

Hi Tom,

I went in a signed up at the Dive Shop.

Go ahead and bring two tanks. We will go see how nasty the silt is on the north end or the mid-lake cruiser after the festivities.

Have you been practicing on a pumpkin-a-day like you said you might?

Be prepared folks. I heard at the dive shop that some of the contestants are really serious about their carving. The basic grinning pumpkin will not even put you in the running.

 

[Tractor Tom]

Nope, I have done a couple pumpkins, but haven't had the time to do many. I'll whip out a couple this weekend to see if I can come up with an original design (Lord knows I have PLENTY of pumpkins to practice on...). The tough part is not making it too darn complex.

Good news is, my new Viking dry gloves are on the way from Bob3 and I should have them installed for the pumpkin dive! Finally I can get rid of those 5mil wetsuit gloves and stay a bit warmer.

See you at the lake on the 26th at 10:00 or so.