any tips for carving a pumpkin UW

[tomboyy]

My LDS is having a cook out and dive prizes along with a pumpkin carving contest.
I entered and was hoping maybe someone on here has done this and can give me some tips.
Sounds like its gonna be a fun day of diving to.

[rcs9250]

Two people really is practical. One holds the other carves.
Take a big spoon for gutting interior. The knife should be freshly sharpened to cut with ease. Some events allow the pattern to be drawn on the pumpkin. Take some soft or hard weights to toss into the pumpkin once gutted to help keep it down.
A mesh bag helps for getting the pumpkin to the carving site. (Easier to handle)
Wrist lanyards on the tools can help in case you drop them, especially if you are up on a platform like we use in the quarry.
If you see a weird green colored substance coming from your hand or your buddy you were carving your hand. :eyebrow:
One year my buddy and I converted his pneumatic sawzall for underwater use. Chainmail gloves saved our lives.

Have fun and don't get distracted from watching your air supply.

Randy

[spectrum]

Many open and gut the pumpkin pre-dive. That gets rid of the excess buoyancy and leaves time for the artsy stuff.

Pete

[mjh]

As others have said if you can gut it first great. If they allow you to use a keyhole saw even better. An extra 5lb weight to put inside while working on it also helps.

[TC]

Don't wear an orange hood that day.

:D

[tomboyy]

Thanks guys

[scubafanatic]

......I think your should take the PADI specialty for 'UW pumpkin carving' ...I'm sure there is one......

[cwhitpan]

......I think your should take the PADI specialty for 'UW pumpkin carving' ...I'm sure there is one......

:rofl3: Too funny. That will be $25 and here's your card. I might have to make this into a T-shirt!

[jjhill]

......I think your should take the PADI specialty for 'UW pumpkin carving' ...I'm sure there is one......

Once your done there don't forget to take the Advanced Pumpkin Carving specialty

[DiveMom1]

Our LDS also has this event scheduled soon. My hubby and I want to play.. they pre-open/clean the pumpkins so that's easy.. I want to do something really off the wall fun... suggestions? I'd say a PADI Pirate but this LDS is SSI. LOL

I love the weight and tote suggestions... anything else?

[Cave Diver]

I want to see a pumpkin implode.

[themagni]

I've done this for years, and it will be a challenging dive. One ranks as the hardest dive I've done to date.

You will require:
1. A good plan. Something like having you and your buddy take turns and WAIT for each other is a good minimum. One year we lost our third guy; it turns out that he was on the surface in his car driving away. The plan for the pumpkin has to be simple since you've only got ~30 minutes to carve. Those artwork lanterns take weeks. (This year's "crop" will be about half-done at this point in the year.)

2. Extra weight, about 10-15 pounds per pumpkin. They're really buoyant. Keep the weight and the pumpkin in a mesh bag. Use an easy-to-untie knot since it's no fun to take your gloves off to get a good grip on the knots.

3. A reg that breathes upside down. When you're holding the pumpkin, you will end up floating upside down while you're getting the air out. It's just the way it works. Given the shallow depth, if your reg free-flows, you'll be fine.

4. Pumpkin carving equipment. As the ads at my LDS go, "real divers use just their knives". I've lost a knife on this dive, so think about what you may want to lose. Put lanyards on anything you want to keep. Dollar store knives are great since if Neptune wants `em, he can have `em.

5. Good spirits. Come on, you're carving a freakin' pumpkin UNDERWATER. Have fun and enjoy yourself.

[DiveMom1]

The only rules we have been told so far is: "Use only your dive knife to carve pumpkin"
It really sounds like fun.. but a simple smiling won't stand out for the judges... maybe we take an extra mask down and add that to the finished "smile" LOL Oh, and maybe a snorkle too!

[knotical]

Many open and gut the pumpkin pre-dive. That gets rid of the excess buoyancy and leaves time for the artsy stuff.

Pete
And it allows proper disposal of the guts. If they don't do this, I wouldn't participate.

[themagni]

And it allows proper disposal of the guts. If they don't do this, I wouldn't participate.

Would like a word with you:
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/9746/hemigra.jpg

[GrandpaScuba]

Remember, stuff underwater is bouyed up by a force equal to the amount of water it displaces. So a pumpkin is going to be very bouyant and require a lot of lead to sink.

How to determin how much weight you will need to sink your pumpkin...

Measure the diameter of your pumpkin. Then divide it in half. Cube the number (multiply it times itself 3 times). Then take 15%.

12 inch diameter pumpkin:

1/2 is 6 inches
cubed is 6X6X6=216
15% is 216 X 0.15 = 32

A 12 inch pumpkin will take 32lbs to sink.
(The real answer is probably 32lbs minus the weight of the pumpkin.)

The math behind this...
Volume of a sphere = (4/3) X pi X radius-cubed
if the radius is in inches then the result is in cubic inches
Salt Water weighs 0.036127 lbs per cubic inch.
So... 4 / 3 x 3.14 x 0.036127 = 0.15
So... 0.15 x radius-cubed = lbs of displacement

[DiveMom1]

This would be for a "closed" pumpkin, right? I would not think a "hollow" cleaned pumpking would be that bouyant.... right?

[ptyx]

This would be for a "closed" pumpkin, right? I would not think a "hollow" cleaned pumpking would be that bouyant.... right?

Yes. A clean pumpkin still requires a couple pounds to get down.
Last year I leashed my pumpkin: made a small hole at the bottom, threaded a line through it, and tied the line to the weight inside. That and a mesh bag for the pieces I removed while carving worked well.

Unless you're already on the overweight side, if you plan to carve kneeling on sand, I'd recommend to add a couple pounds to your usual setup - makes it easier to stabilize.

If allowed, a keyhole saw or a really thin and long serrated blade is best. There is no point going out with twenty different tools, but a dive knife is too wide/thick to allow any details - and managing too many tools is a pain.

Now forget all of the above and go have fun!

[DiveMom1]

Wow.. yet another great suggestion about "stringing" the weight through the pumpkin base! :eyebrow: Today I bought a pkg of 3/4" elastic to lace through an old mask and snorkle. I just think it will be hilarious to bring that out of the ocean at the breakwater.. :rofl3:Too bad I don't have one of those new Cressi "Big Eyes" masks to put on it, you could make a really sinister looking pair of jack-o-lantern eyes to fill that one! LOL Maybe I put a light stick or two in it just for fun as well. Red of Course! :D

Yeah, my dive knife is really old school that straps on the leg. It is HUGE and really thick... not to mention dull as all get out! Hum.. maybe it's time for a new small BC knife. LOL:kiss2:

I have a small pumpkin carving knife but that would be cheating:no:

[AfterDark]

And it allows proper disposal of the guts. If they don't do this, I wouldn't participate.

:rofl3::rofl3::rofl3::rofl3::rofl3::rofl3::rofl3:p umpkin guts bad for the envrioment:rofl3:

[Brandon]

I clean my pumpkin before hand. I've found it works out quite nicely to chuck some weight inside, then shove your knife into the side of the pumpkin to use as a handle. I don't bother taking the top down with me.

A sharp point vicky makes an awesome pumpkin knife =)

-B

[parrothead600]

Our LDS does not allow any holes in the pumpkin prior to your initial descent. I have heard of 1 case of a pumpkin imploding. This risk can be reduced by poking a couple of holes in it on the way down.
I carry my pumpkin in a mesh bag with a few different sized weights. After I get the top off, I put the top in the bag with a weight so it won't float away and put the rest of the weight in the pumpkin.
Also, don't worry about disposing of the guts, the fish love 'em.
Enjoy yourself...

[Blackwood]

Carve a small pumpkin. Get large pumpkin, hollow it out, and put your carved pumpkin inside. Descend, destroy the evidence, and surface with the pre-carved one.

All's fair in love and pumpkin carving.

[Lobstah Slayah]

Carve a small pumpkin. Get large pumpkin, hollow it out, and put your carved pumpkin inside. Descend, destroy the evidence, and surface with the pre-carved one.

All's fair in love and pumpkin carving.

Devious...I love it :rofl3:;):D

[DiveMom1]

Now THAT is DEVIOUS!!!:rofl3::rofl3::rofl3::rofl3:
:eyebrow:Maybe I'll consider it..
:no:Naw I'm a good girl!