Underwater pumpkin carving takes over Sask. lake
The Saskatchewan Underwater Council (SUC) and the Moose Jaw Barracudas Scuba Club invited divers from the province to try their hand at carving a pumpkin underwater.
Two dives happened at Lovering Lake on Sunday for the second annual event, the first an underwater clean up and the second for carving.
Divers surface after carving their pumpkins in Lovering Lake on Oct. 17. Kaylyn Whibbs/CTV News
Divers surface after carving their pumpkins in Lovering Lake on Oct. 17. Kaylyn Whibbs/CTV News
Alanna McIntyre carved a pumpkin underwater for the first time. She opted to keep her design simple for the first attempt.
"I had a lot of fun, it was difficult at first but then once we kind of got settled into our spot and everything cleared out then yeah it was lots of fun, " said McIntyre, who carved a series of fish eating each other into her pumpkin.
New to the event this year was the opportunity to earn an Underwater Pumpkin Carving certification.
Diver City SCUBA in Winnipeg made the trip to teach the class as carving underwater has more challenges than carving at your kitchen table.
"You do have to remember still, we're under water, so we have to pay attention to how much air we have, how much time we've been down there, where our buddy is," said Jacqui Dufault, owner at Diver City and president of the Manitoba Underwater Council.
Participants also had the chance to claim a title including best costume, pumpkin design, most unique piece of trash collected and most trash collected underwater.
One of the council’s mandates is environmental stewardship.
"If we're able to raise some awareness in the public about stuff like this then maybe we can reduce some of the pollution in our lakes," said Tracy Wilson, SUC’s secretary.
According to SUC, the province's diving community has been shrinking in the last few years and events like these where people gather to dive, eat and spend time with others who have similar interests are a way of building it back up.
The Saskatchewan Underwater Council’s festive event returns to the province with divers carving pumpkins in Lovering Lake on Oct. 17. Kaylyn Whibbs/CTV News
The Saskatchewan Underwater Council’s festive event returns to the province with divers carving pumpkins in Lovering Lake on Oct. 17. Kaylyn Whibbs/CTV News
"Events like this are our way to do outreach to the community and the general public and maybe get new people involved in to diving or some people that aren't active in diving involved again," said Brad Nelson, programs director for the SUC.
He said anyone looking to get into diving can reach the council on their Facebook page or their website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.