Thousand Islands

Chapter 55: Sunless Sea(3)

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Chen Jiajun rarely leads the team, because of the visit of Catherine and her fiance, he once again led everyone to sea as a guide. Everyone joked, saying that the couple received a VIP-like courtesy.

On the second day of Christmas, the first dive in the morning went to the nearby reefs. In front of the underwater cliffs, we saw schools of barracudas. Hundreds of barracudas were connected end to end, swimming in a spiral, like a gray whirlwind in the blue sea. On the sandy bottom of the sea at a depth of more than 30 meters, a two-meter-long leopard shark is dozing lazily, two rows of gill slits close together, breathing leisurely.

Back to the surface, take a rest on the beach of a nearby uninhabited island, simply eat two sandwiches, and everyone will go to the next shipwreck dive site. Chen Jiajun sat on the bow, the sea breeze was blowing, and suddenly remembered that Ye Fei first came to the store. He didn't know the meaning of wreck and Nitrox. He greeted him confidently, but was dumbfounded by the customer's question. He couldn't help smiling.

There is still a few minutes boat ride away from the dive site. Another submersible boat comes at high speed from the side with blue bubbles painted on its body. The man who sailed the boat wore a pair of big sunglasses, topless, and his slightly curly hair fluttered in the wind. It was Mooney. He saw Scuba Libre's submersible boat from a distance, raised his hand, increased the speed of the boat, and grabbed the front side in a sharp turn. The stern split the herringbone wave and swayed to the side.

Wenka was familiar with it, turned the bow of the ship and pushed up against the waves, avoiding the sway caused by the waves from the side. The Clippers drew an arc and drove by from the other side, not far from the Blue Oxy Clippers, and were driving together.

"They did it on purpose." Wan Peng was indignant.

"It doesn't matter, let them prepare first, and we will go." Chen Jiajun is not impatient, "just take a little more rest."

He instructed Wenka to slow down and wait patiently not far from the dive site buoy. Mooney was not in a hurry. He tied the buoy rope to the bow and walked around on the boat, talking and laughing with everyone, seeming to be delaying time on purpose, and smiled and waved to this side.

Chen Jiajun didn't pay much attention to it, and took out an underwater map to explain the location and precautions of the sunken ship to the customers.

"The ship is very big, 130 meters long, with a maximum depth of 43 meters. The corals on the hull are well developed. There are schools of juvenile fish gathered on the side of the bow. The hull is worth seeing. There are also many creatures, so we will not enter the ship today. We will focus on the bow and stern area.” He clicked on the icon, “There will be several different kinds of sea slugs. I brought a flashlight and I will show it to everyone. Pay attention to the rusty and damaged hull, some parts are sharp, and there will be sea urchins and cleverly camouflaged scorpion fish on the hull. Control your buoyancy and try not to touch the sunken ship."

He emphasized all the situations that he might encounter. On the Blue Oxygen boat over there, everyone procrastinated to prepare. After ten minutes, they finally turned over into the water one by one.

Wenka drove the boat over and tied it to the buoy rope. Chen Jiajun led the team into the water, distinguished the position, estimated Mooney's route, turned around and swam to the other side of the sunken ship to avoid interference between the two teams. Swim to the middle of the hull, the door leading to the inner cabin fell slantingly aside, and the narrow gangway sloped downwards, leading to the deep and dark bottom, with no end in sight. Catherine's fiance swam over and looked curiously, seeming to want to find out. Chen Jiajun hovered steadily beside him, and his voice came through the sea, a little fuzzy: "No entry."

The man turned his head, shrugged, and followed the team.

This dive is carried out around the sunken ship, most of the time is about 30 meters, the average depth is large, the compressed air consumption is fast, and the human body has a lot of nitrogen accumulation, so the stay time is not long. The group soon returned to the water.

"It's like an adventure movie, right?" Catherine laughed.

"Yeah, it's great! I swam around and exhausted my gas so fast." Her fiance replied, "Otherwise, I would really like to go in and have a look. KC, have you been inside?"

"I have been to almost all corners inside, but that was years ago. At that time, I was reckless and loved to take risks." Chen Jiajun replied, "This ship has a large body, complicated internal passages, and long-term soaking, so the hull structure may be unstable. If I don’t fully prepare, I won’t go in, let alone bring ordinary tourists in.”

Everyone took off their wet clothes and jumped into the water again to solve some personal problems. Wan Peng leaned on the ladder and asked with a smile, "Is there anyone else who needs to use the bathroom? If not, we will set sail."

Chen Jiajun untied the cable and flushed his ears with clear water, faintly feeling abnormal in his heart. He stood upright, and the blue oxygen boat was still floating not far away. Except for the boatman, there was only one diver lying on the bow basking in the sun, watching his costume as a tourist. Wenka followed his gaze and explained: "He was pierced by the sea urchin and came back first." Sure enough, there were several black spots on his knees, which were the spikes of the sea urchin crushed in the skin.

"The others haven't come back yet?"

"No, maybe they are on the shallower deck, stopping for a longer time."

Chen Jiajun looked at the dive computer. The Blue Oxygen dived earlier. If the diving depth is similar to theirs, they should have reached the limit of the no-decompression stop time; if they are cruising near the shallower deck, they would be good today. Visibility, the last two teams will not be so coincidental, completely unable to see each other's bubbles. And when I just made a safety stop at a depth of five meters, there was silence below.

Chen Jiajun's heart is tight: It is not Mooney's style to circle leisurely around the shallow deck.

Chen Jiajun asked the other boatman and said that Mooney had brought two students here, both of which were the last dives in the advanced course. He called the student lying on the bow again and asked the details of the dive. The student was stabbed to the knee by a sea urchin, feeling depressed, and said in a general sense: After entering the water, they went straight to the sand more than 30 meters deep and found two cats in the gap between a broken steel column. Shark, he just looked at him, his buoyancy was not well controlled, his legs lowered and he knelt on the sea urchin behind him. He was wearing a half-length diving suit, and it was pierced so fiercely that he felt that one leg could not be used. Mooney took him near the shallower buoy line and watched him make a safe stop before returning to the water.

"Where are the two of them?" Chen Jiajun took the other's dive computer and looked at the time of entry into the water. It was far beyond the safe length of time to stay in the deep water area. He couldn't help frowning, "Do you plan to enter the cabin?"

The student nodded: "Muni said that after entering, there is an air chamber that can expose his head to the surface of the water. Before, he would put the rum on the beam and drink a sip. He also reminded us that you can take off the respirator and say a few words when exposed to the water. , But can’t breathe in, because the air there has been trapped for too long and it’s not fresh."

"I know that location." Chen Jiajun set out to organize his equipment. Scuba Libre brought a spare compressed gas cylinder on board. He took off his equipment and replaced it with a new bottle full of gas. While sorting it out, he reminded Wenka and the other boatman to prepare medical oxygen.

Seeing him with a serious look, Blue Oxygen’s crew said timidly: “We didn’t bring oxygen, nor spare gas cylinders. Mooney said that it’s not too far off shore. If there is a problem, go straight back. You don’t need to be so thorough.”

Chen Jiajun snorted coldly and stopped talking.

"I'll go with you!" Wanpeng stood up, "Two people are more efficient and can help each other."

Chen Jiajun did not refuse, and asked him to replace the cylinders of the trainees who had discharged the water in advance, and picked two cylinders with relatively more surplus gas for spare. At the same time, he ordered Wenka to call the nearest dive shop on the shore and ask them to send someone. Bring equipment and medical oxygen cylinders for support. He looked back at Wanpeng, and said: "There is only one flashlight, do collective action, don't get separated."

Wan Peng nodded vigorously and made an OK gesture. The two stepped into the water, each holding a gas cylinder, kicked the water hard, and swam toward the huge dark shipwreck.

The ship is large in size, and there are several entrances around the hull that lead to the interior. Chen Jiajun took Wanpeng and fastened a spare gas cylinder to the ship at the lower end of the buoy rope with a counterweight belt, and then continued to dive, and soon came to the waters where cats and sharks frequented. There is another entrance nearby, not far from the air chamber mentioned by Mooney.

The two tied the remaining spare gas cylinder to the entrance, and Chen Jiajun turned on the flashlight and signaled Wan Peng to follow behind. They swam in along the dark and narrow corridor, passing through the doors that were closed or opened, occasionally they could see the light from outside the hull projected through the portholes. The dim gray-green looked dull and stagnant, but it was dark and dark. Compared with the inner room, it is still full of temptation and hope. Chen Jiajun kept tapping the bottle with a metal rod, and the crisp sound spread out under the silent sea, like a candlelight that flickered in the endless night.

There was a "boom" not far away, which seemed to be the sound of a violent collision between a gas cylinder and the hull. The propagation speed of sound underwater is four times that in the air, and it is difficult for the ear to distinguish its source for a while. Chen Jiajun concentrated and held his breath, and after a short while, he heard another impact. He thought a little, and motioned Wanpeng to wait in the corridor where he could see the entrances and exits on both sides, and swim towards the bottom cabin by himself.

Wan Peng floated motionlessly in the water, surrounded by only the gurgling sound of bubbles when he exhaled. The longer you stay underwater, the greater the risk. At this time, every minute and every second can determine a person's safety. Chen Jiajun's flashlight disappeared under the stairs, maybe only a few minutes, but he felt that the time was as long as still.

Wan Peng became more anxious, swam over and looked at the entrance of the black hole. Suddenly a bright light flashed, and he quickly turned sideways to get away. Chen Jiajun slowly emerged from the top of the stairs, holding a flashlight in one hand, and catching a flustered diver in the other. The flashlight swept across, his barometer was flashing dim green fluorescence, the pointer was already pressed on the red bottom line, and the air was about to run out. He was terrified and clutched Chen Jiajun's arm tightly.

The three quickly swam to the entrance, and put the breathing apparatus connected to the spare cylinder into the student's mouth. He gasped violently, and a lot of bubbles came out.

Chen Jiajun gestured and asked him where Mooney was.

The student kept pointing downwards and waving his hands again, indicating that he didn't know. Chen Jiajun glanced at the entrance, and every second of the beating on the dive computer was related to the life and death of Mooney. However, now I go to the maze-like ship to search rashly, and the chance of winning is not great. I should return to the water first to get clues from this student.

Without further ado, Chen Jiajun signaled Wanpeng to make a safe stop, but he did not care about it and took the students back to the surface. The man was in a panic, his words were upside down, and he stumbled and said something about it. After sending away his companion who was stabbed by the sea urchin, Mooney took him to the air chamber. The two came to the surface, and Mooney took out a wine bottle from behind the beam and made another bath, motioning to take him to the shower on the boat. At this time, the light of the student's flashlight gradually dimmed, probably because it was not fully charged before, and only one flashlight in Mooney's hands was left. Mooney motioned for him to follow closely, but when he turned a wall, he suddenly couldn't see Mooney's fins. The trainee was nervous and panicked immediately. When he saw the light ahead, he went through and swam forward, only to realize that it was a porthole that couldn't get out. Turning back in darkness, he couldn't see the way out. He couldn't make a sound underwater, so he could only fumble along the wall. In a panic, he ignored the buoyancy control, and the sediment on the bottom and bulkhead of the ship was stirred up. He stumbled in the chaos, but fortunately Chen Jiajun arrived in time and fished him out

Chen Jiajun sat on the side of the ship, listening to him, his heart gradually cooled. Although Mooney is arrogant and reckless, he is competitive and will never leave his students underwater alone. At that time, the two were not far apart. With Mooney’s understanding of the shipwreck, normally, he would not find a student after himself. Mooney didn't arrive late, unless something accident happened.

Chen Jiajun looked dignified and greeted Lan Oxygen’s boatman: “Send him back to the shore as soon as possible, pay attention to the signs of decompression sickness, use pure oxygen when going ashore, and immediately send him to the hospital.” After he finished pulling the oxygen cylinder, he put the mask on his mouth On the nose, take a big breath.

Wenka saw him leaving the student aside, saying nothing, worried in her heart, and asked, "KC, are you planning to go down anymore?"

Wan Peng also surfaced, hearing this question, hurriedly shouted: "Boss, it's time for no decompression."

"There is already a dive shop to send a boat, and it's on the way." Wenka pulled Wanpeng up, "I'll be there soon."

Chen Jiajun took two deep breaths of oxygen and put on the equipment again. "I'm afraid it's too late."

Both Wenka and Wanpeng looked worried, Wanpeng grabbed him and clicked on the dive computer on his wrist. "You have been down to great depths several times. It's too risky."

"I have a sense of measure." Chen Jiajun patted him on the shoulder, paused, and said, "That is a life."

Wanpeng puts on the mask: "Okay, I'll be with you."

"If you stop within ten meters, you may need someone to make an emergency."

Wenka took a step forward: "Let me go."

Chen Jiajun shook his head: "Is there something really needs to return to the shore as soon as possible. Moreover, no one knows the structure of the sunken ship and Mooney's route better than me."

The crowd gathered on the side of the ship, watching Chen Jiajun and Wan Peng enter the water again, and the sea with white blisters gradually returned to calm. Several divers on the same boat were worried and pulled Wenka to discuss. His English is not agile enough, and he keeps saying "too long...too deep... decompression sickness".

Catherine asked: "There is another coach over there under water? It has been so long, is there still gas in his cylinder?"

"If you are an experienced diver, you will consume less gas." A diver on the same boat replied, "But they got into the water earlier, and it took so long. Time is running out." He checked the dive computer, "KC has been three consecutive times. I have fallen below 30 meters, and now I am looking for someone. The risk of encountering DCS is very high."

"DCS?" Catherine's fiancé asked, "Is it meant to be confused in deep water, like drunk?"

"That's nitrogen drunk." The other party explained, "The so-called decompression sickness is the accumulation of too much nitrogen in the body..." He briefly talked about the causes and symptoms of decompression sickness, fearing that the two of them might not understand, and then said, "Some To a certain extent, it is like a closed Coke can. After being shaken violently, it opens quickly, and the bubbles are gushing out. Staying in deep water for too long, it seems that there are many nitrogen bubbles dissolved in the body, if it quickly returns to the water... After a pause, "KC knows the consequences better than us."

Chen Jiajun hovered above the deck at this time, the water depth was 20 meters. It seems to be back many years ago, when they explored with Mooney. They touched the engine room, found a bicycle in the cargo hold, and found a box of red wine. At that time, Mooney was less than twenty years old. He looked at himself adoringly, saying that they were the best divers and to be the most tacit partner.

Afterwards, he drifted away, and in Mooney's eyes, he became more and more rigid and conservative. And he set up his own door, the dive shop gradually expanded, and after being able to compete with Blue Oxygen on the island, Mooney and him became even more like water and fire. Even so, how can you ignore it? Aside from his various identities, in the sunken ship at this time, there is a life that needs to be rescued.

Chen Jiajun raised his head and saw Wanpeng near the buoy rope above. Passing him, beams of sunlight penetrated the surface of the sea and fell straight to the bottom of the sea like a thread. Golden light and shadow leaped on the deep blue water, and the sun shrank into a dazzling round spot, like a bright gem inlaid on a deep blue crystal, and like an exit from a long tunnel.

Suddenly, he thought of Ye Fei. He took her by the hand and watched the whale shark with her, carrying a big fish in the starry sky on his back, swimming freely in the endless sea. Earlier, in the quiet night, only he and her were sitting in the shop, and she used a sweet voice to read dreamlike words: "Standing in the middle of the island, the place where the sea and the sky meet is indistinguishable. Stars, billions of white sand."

She is complacent and wants to write about her dreams about the island.

When in Beijing, they talked about Kublai Khan from "The Invisible City". Chen Jiajun remembered the first two paragraphs of a poem and memorized it to Ye Fei.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately pleasure-dome decree:

Where Alph, the sacrecl river, ran.

Through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea