đź‘» Thanks again to all who participated in our Scuba Boo Scary Story Contest 2024!! đź‘»
This year was better than ever! We have dry suit failures, photographers’ worst nightmares, and even an underwater earthquake!
Thank you to all who participated!
Read on for all our 2024 entries… And sea you in 2025!
Cody Friesen
@codyrtfriesen
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the waters of Costa Rica in ominous hues, Cody and his fellow divers braced themselves for the eerie exploration of a long-forgotten shipwreck hidden in a shadowy cove. The decaying vessel loomed beneath them, its hull draped in sinister seaweed and vibrant coral that seemed almost alive. With every kick of their fins, the darkness enveloped them, a chilling sensation creeping up their spines. Upon reaching the wreck, they spotted an ancient chest, its surface encrusted with barnacles and whispering of secrets best left undisturbed. As Cody pried it open, a thick, cold mist burst forth, swirling like angry spirits in a tempest. Suddenly, the water around them darkened, and ghostly forms materialized—cursed pirates, their hollow eyes burning with rage and despair. They surrounded the divers, their mournful wails echoing through the depths, a chilling warning of the treasure’s true cost. As Cody’s heart raced, he realized that this was no ordinary dive; they had awakened a curse that would haunt them long after they surfaced.
Alex Fedoryshyn
@Pioneer Scuba
I am revealing a story from the dark and cold Lake Ontario that took place on the wreck known locally as the Tiller. The Tiller sits in 120 feet of dark green water with an average temperature of 34 degrees. I was partnered with a new diver, Ryan, who had done this wreck only a few times before. Ryan and I jumped into the Water off the vessel “Great Big Sea”. We were the first to head down the mooring line and noticed the other pair of divers, who entered after us, zipping past us on a free fall down through the murky water. As Ryan and I reached 70 feet the outline of the wreck became apparent and a shadow was still seen plummeting toward the deck of the Tiller. The diver, who looked more like a starfish, had face planted onto the deck around 50 feet below us. Ryan was still with me at 70-ish feet and signalled to me that he had a free flow with his regulator and frantically crawled up the line towards me. Ryan’s mask was flooding with water as he signalled “out of air”. I donated my primary, swapped to my octo and then we scrubbed the dive and headed up the line. “Starfish Diver” was still flailing around on the deck with his buddy trying to figure out what was wrong. As we ascended to 15 feet, 2 figures rose from the depths. It was the “Starfish Diver” and his buddy. We finished our stop first and shortly after they ascended. On the stern of the Great Big Sea, I figured out why he had rocketed into the depths. His drysuit inflator hose was unattached and the stage bottle, canister light, and steel cylinder had been too heavy for his wing to handle. I will venture a guess that his thick thermal underwear and air pocket in the suit prevented him from a complete suit squeeze. Let this serve as a lesson to check your drysuit inflators before you jump in or it may come back to haunt you!
Third Place
Shireen Shipman
@theshiplady
Prize: @pacific_northwest_scuba_divers Â
I had asked @melissa_foo_ to take vertical GoPro videos of me with different scenery from @gods_pocket_resort for a dumb reel idea. We were at the northwest passage wall and a beautiful lion’s mane jellyfish appeared. After Melissa got a few shots, she started taking videos of me with it. The jellyfish was suicidal and heading straight for the wall. Melissa kept motioning for me to get ever closer to the jelly with its massively long tentacles so the jellyfish and I would be in the same frame. I trusted her, took a very short video with my comically large Disney Princess eyes, and fled as soon as she was done
Second Place
Sage Ono
@sageonophotography
Prize: @ilovenudis
One time… I forgot to turn my flash trigger before putting my camera in the housing
Winning Story!
Brandon Huelga
@bhuelga
Prize: getting_salty_
I experienced an earthquake underwater! Kona, this past February, had a ~6.3 earthquake while I was diving Honokohau Harbor with friends. We were about 50 ft midwater photographing a school of Heller’s Barracuda when a near-deafening rumbling started suddenly, vibrating our bodies like jello. Imagine the bassist rave or concert you’ve ever been to and dial it up to 11. I had to use my hands to cover my ears. It lasted about 20-30 seconds, and we were all pretty stunned. But we continued the dive, and once we got out, a couple on the beach asked if we felt the earthquake – I thought that a cruise ship or something had motored past us! Spooky, but a seriously once in a lifetime experience!
