Just about a year ago, I had no idea that there were any Halloween-themed SCUBA activities. My friends at the Professional Association of Diving Instructors set me straight.
And for a second year in a row, PADI has clued me in to some great Halloween-themed SCUBA events. First up, we have a course to get certified as a Zombie Apocalypse Diver. Police Officer Woody Tinslow, who is also a part-time employee as a dive instructor at New England Ski & Scuba, devised the course. The curriculum for the course covers SCUBA diving basics along with zombie biology and history, and survival, search and recovery skills. Now, I’m not sure if Woody adheres to the Max Brooks “Zombie Survival Guide” for his information on zombie biology and history. But if he’s taken his own approach, it’ll be interesting to see his spin on a cultural meme with no sign of slowing down.
“Um, does anyone else feel something chowing on their legs””(Photo credit: Wikipedia)Next up, we have a nationwide Halloween-themed SCUBA event that follows one of my personal rules: If something is hard on dry land, do it underwater to make it even harder. That’s right, an underwater pumpkin-carving contest.
This takes me right out of contention since my favorite jack-o-lantern carving tool is a Dremel (you should see the pumpkin guts fly when I go to town). Check out your local PADI dive centers to see if you can join the fun. Let’s not forget that pumpkins are buoyant, so you’d better have a plan for keeping that gourd from floating away. Bermuda Triangle, a brilliantly named PADI dive center in Greenville, SC, is just one of many places where SCUBA fans did some underwater carving. Bermuda Triangle’s event happened yesterday, but watch for others in the coming days.
This post just might contain affiliate links. Fear not, they’re non-spammy and benign. Hey, I have to keep this thing running somehow!
