Easter Bunny Dives In For Keys' Underwater Hunt

KEY LARGO (CBS4) - Not your usual site in the waters off Key Largo, as a six foot tall 'Easter Bunny' decked out in scuba gear hid colored eggs among the coral and sand in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Why?

For the annual underwater Easter egg hunt of course.

In what has become a Florida Keys tradition, Atlantis Dive Shop owner Spencer Slate donned a rabbit costume Tuesday and dove to pre-position some of the eggs in the sand along the edge of the reef.

Real eggs and nontoxic colorings are used to avoid negative ecological impacts.

On Easter Sunday, back in the rabbit costume, Slate will lead a special tour to the reef where divers will go on their underwater Easter egg hunt and where they will win prizes and a top award for the finding a special golden egg.

The hunt serves as a fundraiser for Kids In Special Situations, a not-for-profit trust that provides gifts and support to needy children.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Florida Keys News Bureau contributed to this report.)