Barracuda by Mike Monahan Read Free Book Online Page B

of fishing nets ominously shrouded the wreck. Steve
pointed out each hazard to the divers as they were encountered.
    At one point, he shone his dive light through
one of the larger openings. A large hatch cover was bent in an
outward concave position allowing a three-foot opening. It was
large enough for the divers to stick their heads into for a look
but too small to enter with scuba tanks. The light beam could only
penetrate for about four feet into the darkness, but each diver
could see the numerous dangling beams and cables that made the
interior of this cargo room resemble a huge spider’s web of death.
Colorful fish darted about anxiously when the light beam hit them.
Bob and Bill showed a special interest in this cargo hatch as they
pushed and pulled at the hinges that held the ancient hatch in
place. Steve had to tap them on the shoulder and motion them to
follow him.
    The dive master remained on alert and frequently
checked his dive computer. He knew that this diver operation was in
its infancy and that an underwater tragedy could cripple its
future, so he followed a conservative dive profile. Soon he was
once again ascending from the lower depths up to the flight deck.
He arranged his divers in a circle, pointed to the bridge, and
motioned that it was the next point of interest. Then he shot a
blast of air into his BC vest and slowly ascended toward the
bridge. As he rose, he watched as the other divers did the same and
Carol followed up the rear.
    The bridge was not as crushed as the lower
levels, and there were several large openings where the ambient
light allowed great visibility. Several sheets of worn fish netting
covered the upper antennae in a veiled shroud. Steve pointed out
the danger before slowly leading the way on a tour of the
accessible areas of the once imposing war room of the carrier. All
the machinery and controls were covered in a bed of soft coral that
lit up in an infinite array of colors when splashed with sunlight.
It was a perfect day for diving as the sun reached down to the
depths from a cloudless sky.
    After the short tour of the bridge, Steve used
hand signals to each diver to indicate how much air they had
remaining. Each finger represented one hundred psi from a three
thousand psi tank. All ten divers were quite experienced, and none
were low on air as they began their decompression stops. While
doing their various deco stops off gassing, the divers were treated
to a sensational show of nature as a large group of gray reef
sharks aggressively fed on a school of mackerel far below. The
carnage was quick and deadly. When the sharks swam out of view, a
school of horse-eyed jacks cleaned up the remains.
    The gray reef sharks were the top predators in
these waters, and it was their job to help maintain the delicate
balance of nature. If there were too many mackerels, they ate more
than their share of the smaller fish and threw off the balance of
other fish that fed on the same baitfish. Scientists have
discovered just how important this balance was as it slid down the
food chain from top predator to the smallest of fish. A drastic
change in one species in this sequence adversely affected the
entire food chain.
    When the decompression time was over, Steve
climbed on board the Lily I first and helped the other
divers as they climbed aboard. A rolling boat could be pretty
dangerous when divers were fatigued and tried walking with a
hundred pounds of gear strapped to their backs. Steve walked each
diver safely back to their seats and unbuckled their gear, while
Carol stayed in the water until the last diver was seated. It
looked like the dive had been a success as the enthusiastic
tourists cackled about the sights they had just witnessed.
    Steve was quite happy with himself that this
checkout dive had gone so smoothly. He did, however, stop Bill and
Bob and ask, “What were you trying to do down there?”
    “What do you mean?” Bill growled.
    “You know exactly what I mean. I saw you