Tips for UW Pumpkin Carving

[Randy43068]

I think I'll screw an inflator connector into the pumpkin. I'll "scratch" my design into it, then attach a hose and let'r blow the marked sections out!

 

[Ber Rabbit]

are you going to put decorations out again? If so, I'll help.

I wasn't planning to carve this year, might have OW students coming so I won't have time. No string for you to play with this year

Everyone here missed the boat. The best part of UPC is watching the new guy try to get the thing under water. You have to descend with a whole, uncut pumpkin. All cuts are made under water.

Everyone is going to be the new guy including the organizers. I'm just trying to help them ease into putting on the event Hopefully they don't have attack fish like the ones in our quarry, they are bad enough when you clean out the pumpkin on the surface. I don't want to be in the middle of the melee if someone is cleaning a pumpkin underwater and those fish are swarming around feeding
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Randy43068]

OMG Amber, what are you thinking? Bringing NEW people to a M&G!! Nothing that a few year of therapy won't cure I suppose...

 

[Darcey]

Hmmm...I did my first UPC last weekend and had to be crafty...since everyone else had done it before except myself and my boyfriend...and no one was going to give us any hints!

I put a couple of ankle weights on top of the pumpkin to get it down and once down cut open the top and put a big rock inside to keep it down. Carving was interesting though...especially with a blunt tip dive knife. I had this grand idea of the pumpkin I was going to carve...but that went straight to hell once I got down there and realized that it wasn't going to happen due to fighting to keep the pumpkin at a decent angle to carve. We ended up with a cute goofy looking pumpkin instead. I have a few pics of our UPC last weekend in my photos.

And the FISH! OMG! It was a pumpkin guts feast for the fish! One fish even swam up to my face and barfed a chunk of pumpkin out at me. I was laughing so hard I almost spit out my reg!

The girl next to me claimed to have done it before but something tells me she's full of it. (Not a very smart diver to begin with...did more stupid "get yourself in trouble" or "hurt another diver" and "treat your gear like dirt" things in one dive than I've ever seen...and even threw her regulator down on the ground at one point...:shocked2 She didn't quite grasp the idea of putting a rock or weight in the pumpkin...and didn't quite know how to use a knife in the first place either. I can't even begin to explain how she was using the knife...but she missed the pumpkin and dropped it so many times it's a wonder she didn't cut herself (or someone else!), a hose or pop her BC. I've never seen so much flailing with a knife in my life! I tried to show her how to put the rock in the pumpkin and use the knife...but she was just dense and didn't pay attention or just didn't get it. Oh well...sometimes you can't fix stupid.:doh2:

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

I remember the challenge was to get the pumpkin to the bottom... only our rules stated that your pumpkin had to be intact until you were under water... none of this nonsense about cutting it open and putting weights in it before you got in the water.

The springs weren't very deep so the challenge was to NOT touch the pumpkin until you were on the bottom... once there do with it as you please. Most people wrapped a weight belt around the things rather than carrying extra... it was a hoot. That was the only real rule... the first time size wasn't a consideration... so I brought one of the mini-pumpkins... I was envied by all.



Ken

We scoop and drain our pumpkins because we are in our pool. Right after this, we do our annual drain and clean/repair. But we don't want ALL the pumpkin in there....

What's fun is letting them take the weight out when done, and they just bob to the top. By the time all are out and out of gear, the pumkins are lined up against teh edge with glowsticks.
There are times we do "night" carving. Glowsticks go with us. It's just us dms and instructors on this one after all else have gone.

 

[ZenDiver.3D]

I think I have to do it here, out at one of dive sites. Cool..... I have never done it outside our pool. It sounds like a blast. Can't wait to see what they do...

 

[Land Locked]

Half the fun is watching people get the darned things down!

Select a small pumpkin, go a little heavier on the weight belt, cut a hole in it to let the air
out and descend. Use a small betty crocker knife or purchase a pumpkin carving knife and be
creative. Lotsa fun!

 

[dakardiver]

Thanks Ber Rabbit and everyone for all the great tips, stories, and pics. To answer some of the questions (though probably too late for anyone to reply to), we'll do it in a small bay area with water temps around 78 degrees. So my guess is most won't be wearing gloves except for personal protection. We're going to take the advice and gut them first (only a short walk down some steps to the water's edge, but a 50 meter swim to the carving area). I love the idea of a pumpkin night dive, but since we planned this on Sunday afternoon rather than Saturday, homework will preclude that one (several teen participants). I'll try posting some photos after we're finished and will let you know how it all turned out.

Cheers and thanks again,
Bruce

 

[dakardiver]

Oh, one last note. Getting decent pumpkins was a bit harder than I thought. Since most of the locals here can't afford a whole pumpkin, they are traditionally sold by the chunk. :shocked2:

 

[Desert_Diver]

OMG Amber, what are you thinking? Bringing NEW people to a M&G!! Nothing that a few year of therapy won't cure I suppose...

Yo, Randy-

If you're going to go making suggestions to the Bunny, how about doing the pumpkin carving in volcanically heated water. At Halloween, the non-heated lakes here have ice on top. And carving in 90 degree water requires no wet/dry suit, gloves, hoods or assorted protective gear. Except ankle braces for the balance-challenged, that is.

Art