In the waters off Key Largo, a coral cay archipelago off the coast of Florida, underwater artists of all ages used knives and other carving tools to transform a number of pumpkins into Halloween jack-o’-lanterns.
The 18 participating divers were challenged to keep the hollow, naturally buoyant pumpkins from floating off while they carved their creations.
Emily Beukers from Washington, D.C., and Miranda Potrie of British Columbia, Canada, impressed the judges with a shark-tastic cutout accented with a skillfully sculpted skull and crossbones.
The duo won a free diving trip for two at a luxury diving resort as the top prize.
Curious finned and gilled yellowtail spectators swam close to the artistic action, hanging around for any bits of “‘food” that floated off.
The annual contest, scheduled around October’s traditional Halloween celebration, was staged near Horseshoe Reef about five miles off the famous holiday destination.
