{"id":331949,"date":"2020-10-21T06:02:18","date_gmt":"2020-10-20T20:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=331949"},"modified":"2020-10-21T06:02:18","modified_gmt":"2020-10-20T20:02:18","slug":"underwater-pumpkin-carving-contest-this-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/underwater-pumpkin-carving-contest-this-saturday\/","title":{"rendered":"Underwater pumpkin carving contest this Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"
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File photo shows scuba instructor and Green Flash Dive owner Joey McDoulett checking out last year\u2019s entries to the first ever Pumpkin Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest in the CNMI. (BEA CABRERA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest is happening this Saturday at 9am in Lau Lau Bay. This is the second year that this event will take place.<\/p>\n

In the contest being held by Green Flash Dive Inc., licensed scuba divers will have the chance to carve a pumpkin underwater, a popular activity during Halloween.<\/p>\n

Scuba instructor and Green Flash Dive owner Joey McDoulett, who came up with the idea last year, is expecting more than 20 participants this year. \u201cThe event is [intended] to generate interest in diving locally and to have a great time. Aside from awarding the best carved entry, there will be an award for best costume as well. \u2026Participants can use pumpkins, squash, or any other carvable fruit or vegetable\u2014pineapple, tomato, etc.,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDivers must have a certification card from a nationally recognized certification agency, must sign a waiver and release agreement, and divers under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian\u2019s signature on the release agreement. Divers under the age of 15 must dive with an adult dive buddy. We are expecting three winners this year to place in third, second, and first place. Last year\u2019s theme was underwater Halloween and it will be the same theme this year,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Part of the rules will require divers to provide their own pumpkin and carving tools and pumpkins must be cleaned of all seeds and pulp at home. Carvings are judged on creativity and aesthetics. Premium scuba equipment are up for prizes. First place wins a Scubapro regulator, second place wins a pair of Scubapro jet fins, and third place wins a pair of Scubapro twin jet fins.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are two places for the costume contest. First place wins 15 free cylinder rentals and second place wins 10 free cylinder rentals from Green Flash Dive. \u2026Non-participants are free to join and cheer on their favorite pumpkin carving or best costume and to enjoy the beach,\u201d McDoulett said.<\/p>\n

To join, one needs to fill a registration form and pay $10 at Green Flash Dive located in China Town.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the best Halloween event on Saipan because we have the best judges and this is\u2026the only event that allows local divers to get together and dive at the same time for fun,\u201d McDoulett said.<\/p>\n

The awarding ceremony will be at the VFW Post in Garapan starting at 6:30pm. Green Flash Dive, a pioneer in \u201chydrotastic test\u201d equipment and scuba safety services in the CNMI, is located in Chinatown and is open from Monday to Sunday from 7am to 7pm.<\/p>\n

For more information, call (670) 287-3243 or look up \u201cGreen Flash Dive Services\u201d on Facebook and Instagram. Its website is\u00a0greenflashdive.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Annual Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest is happening this Saturday at 9am in Lau Lau…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":331950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-331949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=331949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/331950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}