The Saskatchewan Underwater Council (SUC) is heading to Lovering Lake this weekend, and organizers are hoping that divers from across the province will come prepared with a pumpkin and an interest in prairie diving.
The first annual Pumpkin Dive is taking place on Oct. 4, and the SUC is excited to bring something new to the diving community of Saskatchewan.
Certified divers are invited out to Lovering Lake for a day of diving, beginning with an underwater cleanup of Lovering Lake at 11 a.m. and the underwater pumpkin carving challenge following at 1 p.m. The event is being hosted in partnership with the local Moose Jaw Barracudas Scuba Diving Club, who have facilities at Lovering Lake.
“We like to promote the underwater cleanup, [because] there’s junk in all of the lake and so when we dive, we encourage picking that stuff up,” said SUC secretary Tracy Wilson-Gerwing. “And the pumpkin carving part, for someone who loves Halloween as much as I do, that will be just the coolest thing in the world.”
Carving pumpkins underwater is trickier than it may seem, said Wilson-Gerwing, but she’s sure it will be a fun way to spend an afternoon in a Saskatchewan lake.
“It is actually more challenging than what people think, because pumpkins are very [bouyant] so as soon as you take the top off or put a hole in it, it just wants to float away from you,” said Wilson-Gerwing. “So there’s that extra bit of making sure you can hang onto your pumpkin and all its parts and your knife, and still carve something half-decent.”
Divers will have to bring their own pumpkins, tools and diving equiptment for the event, and the finished creations will be shared on the SUC’s Facebook page for judging — the pumpkin with the most likes will win the contest and a prize from the SUC.
Wilson-Gerwing is hoping to see plenty of interest in the event, as part of the reason the SUC hosts fun diving events like this is to promote the diving community here in Saskatchewan.
“A lot of people don’t know there is a thriving scuba diving community in the province. Everyone thinks ‘scuba diving’ and they think of Mexico, the Carribean, warm waters, that kind of thing, but there’s quite a community here,” said Wilson-Gerwing. “And so we like to bring out some fun events, to bring divers together.”
The SUC has been trying to host more unique diving events to boost interest in the sport, including a recent women’s dive day in conjunction with the Battleford diving group in July.
Several divers have already registered for the pumpkin carving event, and the SUC is looking to see a few more consider trying out the sometimes-overlooked pastime.
Registration for the event is required, with a $10 fee for divers who aren’t a member of the SUC. SUC members, above-water spectators or surface supporters are welcome to attend for free.
Divers can register right up until the day of the event by sending an RSVP email to [email protected].
The SUC will also be following a set of COVID-19 safety guidelines provided by the province for scuba diving, and social distancing will be followed during the event.
Lovering Lake is near Chamberlain and is accessible from Highway 2 north.
