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Fla. divers compete in pumpkin carving          Send a link to a friend

[October 23, 2007]  KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) -- Divers carved jack-o'-lanterns more than 30 feet below the ocean's surface in a contest attended largely by fish in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Ken Smith of Sebring, Fla., and his wife Linda, took top honors in the 10th annual contest on Saturday for a "scary pumpkin" entry complete with fangs.

Smith, a retired electrical engineer, said carving underwater isn't easy.

"The pumpkins want to float, so that makes it difficult," Smith said. "So you're working against your own buoyancy and the pumpkin's."

Some contestants had a quick fix. They dropped a weight inside their pumpkins to keep them on the bottom. Then they sliced and pared to create their entries alongside yellowtail snapper and other fish.

The contest was organized by the Amoray Dive Resort and staged about five miles off Key Largo.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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