Divers Compete in Florida Keys Subsea Pumpkin Carving Contest

KEY LARGO (CBSMiami/FKNB) – A creative group of scuba divers submerged 30 feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean's surface in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to pare subsea jack-o-lanterns during a weekend Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest off Key Largo.

Scuba divers carve pumpkins Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Key Largo, Fla. The divers were among some two dozen who participated in an Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest, organized by the Amoray Dive Resort, 30 feet beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. (Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Nearly two dozen artists of all ages used dive knives and fine carving tools to transform their orange gourds into sea creatures Saturday. The divers also were challenged to keep the hollow, naturally buoyant pumpkins from floating off while they carved their critters.

Detroit, Michigan, residents Josephine Walker and Stephanie McClary placed first with their representation of two moray eels encircling a heart to earn a free dive trip for two at Key Largo's Amoray Dive Resort, the contest's organizer.

A yellowtail snapper swims by a scuba diver carving a pumpkin Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Key Largo, Fla. The diver was one of about two dozen who participated in an Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest, organized by the Amoray Dive Resort, 30 feet beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. (Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau)

Other standout entries included a variety of stingrays, an octopus, jellyfish, an anchor and a message to 'Protect Our Coral,' among traditional toothy grins.

Curious finned and gilled yellowtail snapper fish "spectators" swam close to the artistic action.

The annual contest, scheduled each October ahead of traditional Halloween celebrations, was staged near a shallow coral reef about five miles off Key Largo.

(©2019 CBS Local Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Florida Keys News Bureau contributed to this report.)

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