Skillfully carving a pumpkin is no easy feat, even on land, but imagine accomplishing this task while floating underwater and wearing a costume.
Thanks to the Tennessee Aquarium’s volunteer SCUBA divers, you don’t have to imagine too hard. They did it and excelled, creating phenomenal jack-o’-lanterns under the unusually challenging conditions.
Volunteer divers Philip Stitch, Jere Matty and Randy Laszewski held an underwater pumpkin carving demonstration last week in the Aquarium’s River Giants exhibit – a huge hit for guests.
The divers balanced holding weighted pumpkins and carving tools while faced with the distractions of imposing Lake Sturgeon, Arapaima, giant catfish, and an occasional nosey freshwater stingray swimming by.
The fin-tastically talented divers created two gourd-geous Halloween decorations depicting a shark and a tangerine darter, carving their niche into a tradition that will continue every Saturday at 2 p.m. EDT during October for visitors to enjoy.
The carving demonstration also o-fish-ially kicks off the Aquarium’s annual Oddtober celebration. Focused on the wonderfully weird side of nature, guests visiting during ODDtober will explore some of the odd behaviors and strange adaptations of animals.
Aquascarium, the Aquarium’s spooky family-friendly Halloween celebration, returns at the end of October. During this single-day event on Friday, Oct. 25, attendees will get to explore the Aquarium after hours in search of elusive creatures, engage with costumed characters, and collect plenty of candy. Tickets for Aquascarium must be purchased in advance.
Visit tnaqua.org/oddtober/ to learn more about Oddtober, sponsored by Food City, and Aquascarium.
The mission of the Tennessee Aquarium is to connect people with nature and inspire them to make informed decisions about water and wildlife.
The Aquarium, on the banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, is a non-profit organization. Open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Aquarium and IMAX are accessible to people with disabilities.