“Was she a treasure ship! Did they find gold years later?” a man, waving his hand wildly, asked.
“Divers went down in the late 1800s. A difficult feat! Remember, scuba tanks were invented in 1943 by Jacques Yves Cousteau and a colleague, Émile Gagnan. But in 1823, a man named John Deane patented a device he called the Smoke Helmet. This allowed for surface air to run through a hose to a diver. This type of device was used by many salvagers and, of course, there were others, but diving was not made easy until the scuba tank came along. But when divers did reach the ship, there wasn’t much truly classified as treasure to be found. Historic pottery, silverware and a few such items were discovered, but she hadn’t been carrying any New World gold—she hadn’t reached the ports she was to visit. And that deep and that long in the water... Well, belts, buckles, some jewelry was discovered, but nothing of the kind of value that salvage divers dream about. She was deep, even by modern standards, but some divers could reach her and explore her, and they did. For most people, for recreational divers, she wasn’t easy and wasn’t happening. But! Years later, just about a decade and half ago now, there was another storm. A storm, one of our massive hurricanes, lifted her from the deep seabed and smashed her against our reefs here just beyond the isle! She was thrown into the rocks, and went down and now she is there, a magnificent piece of history that can be enjoyed by even those divers who are notcertified to study those wrecks down a hundred feet or so. She rests just twenty-five to thirty feet down and we are going to explore her today!”
A round of applause greeted his words.
“Next!” he told them all. “It’s most unlikely that we’ll run into any great white sharks, but we have lemons, makos, Caribbean reef sharks and hammerheads out there, to name a few. We’ve never had an attack, but I’m assuming that you are all aware not to thrash and attract such creatures, should we see any. Jellies—yeah, they can be out there, too. Avoid them—if you’re stung, or if you wind up in distress in any way, signal your partner or one of us and we’ll see that you get up safely and onto the boat. Now, what you will see are beautiful tangs, all kinds of angelfish, rock beauties in all colors... don’t disturb the wildlife, look and enjoy! Got it?”
“Got it!” his audience echoed.
“And at the ship! Be careful. Rotting timber, ancient metal... Don’t catch any body parts on broken wood or the like, right?”
“Right!” someone echoed.
“Now, then! Safety!” He nodded very solemnly. “Safety is always our priority. Our equipment is checked and double-checked, but you’re responsible for making sure that your flippers, buoyancy control vests and mask and snorkel gear fit and aren’t going to fail you along the way. So! Enough of me talking. We’ll head to the equipment barn!
Chloe loved diving and still headed down to the Keys and out on a dive boat when she had the time. She doubted that she was as experienced as Wes—even though he didn’t really run a dive boat or act as a dive master off that boat.
That she knew of, anyway!
But at the equipment barn, she knew that he was studying the snorkels, flippers and everything else that they werehanded by a friendly young woman working behind the counter, taking foot sizes and making judgments on the proper BCVs to hand out.
Whether people owned their own equipment or not, on this dive, they were required to use that provided by the island dive shop, all part of the excursion. The equipment, guide and dive boat were all part of the package.
“Seems to be top-notch stuff,” Wes noted quietly.
“Always good. And the oxygen tanks—”
“They’ll be set for everyone on the dive boat itself. I believe we’re a group of twelve, if my counting skills are still applicable. And it sounds about right for a decent-sized dive boat. I mean, they come in small and much larger...”
“But this is an excursion and that sounds good to me,” Chloe told him. “Easier to watch those I’m worried about.”
“You’re a good diver?” Wes asked her.
“Well, hm, over time? I’ve been out at least thirty or forty times.”
“Maybe we should split,” he told her.
“Okay?” she murmured.
“Darlene. I know you’re worried about Darlene. Let me go with her, you go with her dad.”
“All right, but—”
“We trail each other.”
When everyone had been outfitted with equipment, it was time to head to the boat. Chloe managed to sit next to Darlene with Wes on her right side.
It was a well-fitted motorboat, and Chloe saw that it was planned for the exact number of people on the tour. Air cylinders were provided at the seats that ran along the starboard and port sides, ready to be attached for each diver.
Their guide, Percy, introduced them all to Captain Ken Larkin and his mate, a young man who grinned when he wasintroduced as ‘Buddy.’ The four islanders—Percy, his fellow guide, Sammy Beck, and Captain Larkin and Buddy—would help everyone prepare to get into the water. The number of people on the dive was always even—everyone had a dive buddy, as well.
“I can’t wait!” Darlene told Chloe. “A wreck! I have my basic certificate, but I haven’t ever trained for a hundred feet or anything like that and one of the main wrecks down in the Keys that I’ve seen from a distance is down nearly a hundred or so. I mean, I got my license because my dad has always loved diving—and ships and boats, as you might have noticed—but I’ve had other interests, too, of course, and now college... Anyway! I’m very excited.”
“So, your dad is a really experienced diver,” Chloe said.
She smiled. It was easy to do so. The wind was blowing beautifully around them. The sky was clear, an exquisite shade of blue. It was truly an amazing day for such an activity.
“Dad has spent years diving. He’s good. But I’ll bet he’s not as good as your husband! I mean, he runs a dive boat! He’s a dive captain,” Darlene said.
