Pumpkin carving sinks to new levels
While children dressed as ninjas, doctors, animals and athletes wait in excitement to rush door-to-door collecting candy on Oct. 31, a group of scuba divers plans to plunge into Lac Orford with pumpkins and knives in hand.
The third annual
Plongée des citrouilles, hosted by Plongée AquaMundo inc. in Sherbrooke, takes place on Halloween between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. with roughly 10 divers slated to participate in the challenge.
According to Aqua-mundo coordinator Marie-eve Boileau, the event signals the end of the scuba diving season as the waters begin to freeze over. Boileau and her team started the challenge three years ago when the scuba diving shop first opened its doors.
“It’s just really a fun dive, people bring their own pumpkin underwater and just carve it,” she said. “After that we do a quick vote for the best, most beautiful, and funniest.”
The divers utilize Lac Orford due to its clear and calm waters, Boileau explained in a phone interview. She added that the activity isn’t unique to her scuba diving school; this is a notable event for diving enthusiasts across Canada.
Boileau said that the real challenge isn’t necessarily the carving portion of the activity. It’s a struggle to keep the pumpkins under water, she said, so people need to take that into consideration by putting weights inside.
While the lake reaches depths of close to 40 metres deep, the group stays at a maximum 20 feet below surface level to complete the carving challenge. She added that water temperature is also a factor, however, everyone involved in the event is well-equipped for frigid waters.
“Our divers, most of them have a dry suit, so you can dive until the ice is on the lake,” said Boileau. “It’s cold, but it’s not that cold if you have the right equipment.”