The Dive-In movie at Weber State University has a tradition of giving students the opportunity to get to know their fellow Wildcats. It’s a tradition that invites students to make new friends with a splash.

This year, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” was projected on the wall in the Swenson Pool. Pirate- and water-themed snacks such as chocolate coins and Goldfish crackers could be found in a treasure chest for all who attended.

According to Rebecca Mabile, the event coordinator, the idea to play “Pirates of the Caribbean” came from a student poll. She sent out some fellow employees to ask random students what they would like to see at this event, including movie choice.

Many of the students seemed to gear more towards aquatic classics, such as “Finding Dory” and “Jaws.” Ultimately, “Pirates of the Caribbean” was chosen from student requests, giving the event a balance of both water and Halloween themes.

The pool was filled with black Halloween balloons, noodles, float tubes and students chatting among each other.

“It’s a great opportunity to make friends,” said Taylor Orr. “That’s why we came tonight.” She went on to say how she feels more involved this year because there is something engaging to do every night, and the timings of the events worked out much better for her this year compared to her freshman year.

When asked about the turn out, Mabile stated that it was much greater than they anticipated.

“We have about 70 students here,” she said. “After last year with only 40–50 students, we really didn’t expect this turnout.”

Both Mabile and her head lifeguard Hannah Rich put a lot of time into this event. Of the planning that went into the evening, which included balloons in the water, floaties, glow sticks, and snacks, Mabile said that it was a high-risk event that can be hard to grab the students’ interest to come to the pool.

Despite her stresses planning, in the end, her favorite part about the event was just seeing the students come to enjoy themselves.

The tradition of a Dive-In movie will continue in the spring semester, so start thinking of your favorite aquatic movies now, and join the Dive-In team in another swim social next semester.