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15th Annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest Scheduled for October 2007
13 Sep 07

(Tumon, Guam) Every October, on an island world renowned for the exquisite clarity of its deep blue seas, the water turns orange in places and from its depths a variety of unusual, clever, and downright hilarious creatures pours forth. No, it is not the opening moments of the latest horror movie at sea, but rather the results of the annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest, held every year by the Guam Tropical Dive Station.

The carved pumpkin, or jack-o-lantern, is an important part of the American holiday, Halloween. To make a jack-o-lantern, the inside of a pumpkin is scooped out, a face carved in to the skin of one side, and typically, a candle is placed inside to give it a scary Halloween glow. Guam Tropical Dive Station organizes an annual jack-o-lantern carving competition with a wet and wild twist � all of the scooping, carving, and creating is done beneath the sea!

The 15th Annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest will happen at 9 am on Saturday, October 27th at the USO Beach in Piti with judging to follow at the Guam Premier Outlets (GPO) in Tamuning at noon. There are two age groups, children and adults, and more prizes than even the largest �Trick or Treat� bag could carry! Entry for children, aged 2 � 10, is $5 USD and includes a free t-shirt. The kids can take part in the Pumpkin Hunt and the Scariest Mask contest. The scary masks must be homemade.

The entry fee for adults is $10 USD and includes a t-shirt, a pumpkin, and a raffle ticket for the Halloween prizes. Adults must be certified divers and all the pumpkin cutting and carving must be done underwater. There are three Pumpkin Carving categories and a fantastic prize from Continental Airlines for the winner of each. Winner of the Funniest Pumpkin receives a trip to Chuuk, winner of the Scariest Pumpkin receives a trip to Palau, and the winner of the Most Original Pumpkin gets a free trip to Australia!

Judging takes place at GPO, where all of the pumpkins will be displayed for the public to enjoy. Judging for the children begins at noon and the adult categories will be judged at 1 pm. The pumpkins will be on display at GPO for the remainder of the day for everyone to see. The Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest is an anticipated part of Guam�s annual Halloween celebration and is popular with both divers and non.

The Guam Tropical Dive Station would like to thank Continental Airlines for its continued support over the years of the Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest. Special thanks also goes out to the Guam Premier Outlets, Guam Visitors Bureau, Mares Dive Gear, PADI and the USO Beach in Piti for their annual support.

For more information about the 15th annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest, contact Belinda Berg at belinda@gtds.com Sign up now for the most unusual dive experience in the world at the Guam Tropical Dive Station�s 15th annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest.

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Media Contact:
Cindy Hanson
chanson@visitguam.org
+1 671-646-5278