Chapter 6
July is here and time for the next chapter where Matthew goes diving with sharks. Tune in next month for the another chapter.
Early the next morning I had my usual breakfast at the chow hall then went back to my room and put on my swimming trunks and gathered up my regulator and climbed on my bike to ride to the other side of the island where the dive shack was situated. To get there you ride the length of Roi past the abandoned ruins of Japanese buildings left over from the war and further down the road past the present building which houses the police station, airport offices, health clinic, and the office of the island manager. Just past this building the road I was on met another road close to a gazebo structure on the beach called the Parrot club. Next you turn left and cross over to Namur and continue down the road past the marina on your right before finanlly arriving at the dive shack. The dive shack is actually 3 buildings. One is an open gazebo with picnic tables, a second contains the tanks and compressor, and a third is a locker room where I met the other divers. I passed Gary on the way who was headed back to the marina to get the boat. At the dive shack was Brian Pierce, another engineer that I worked closely with, Hank Laird, an older technician who helped maintain the radars, and Jackie, a very attractive woman from California of Japanese discent. Jackie was a space tracker as well who was making a rare appearance during the day time. Most if not all of the single men on Roi had a crush on her. Besides her obvious physical beauty she was always very cheerful and engaging. It hardly seemed like she belonged working with her sullen colleages.
Hank looked up at me as I entered and said “You’re late!”
“Sorry I guess it took me longer to load my cart than I expected.” I had carried my gear on a small cart behind my bike.
“No problem Matt, we have some time yet before Gary gets here with the boat” stated Jackie as she flashed a smile at me.
“We were just discussing which spot to go to before you got here Matt.” said Brian as he looked up from attaching his BC to his tank.
“Have you been to Speedball yet?” he asked?
“No but I’ve been wanting to, that’s the place with all the sharks right?”
“More sharks than you can shake a stick at” answered Hank. “We could do our first dive there and follow it up with a second dive in the pass on our way back.
“Sounds cool.”
So we finished getting our gear together and carried it down to the dock. By that time we spotted Gary headed back our way with the boat.
“You guys ready to get wet?” called the always gregarious Gary from the boat.
“You bet!” replied Brian as he caught the lines from the boat.
So with that we tied up the boat, loaded our gear onto it and Hank and I climbed on board then we both turned to give our hands to Jackie to climb on. I found the men on Roi including myself would take any excuse to hold her hand. Brian casted off the lines and jumped on the boat himself.
To leave the harbour on Roi-Namur you must navigate past several coral heads that could tear the bottom off a boat. As we slowly motored away I could see several groups of Marshall Islanders gathered by the marina doing their laundry. The Army had set up washing machines in a fenced in area which allowed the natives to do their laundry but not to gain access to the main island. There is no running water on 3rd island. The ladies in their colourful moo-moos stood out agaisnt the grass and cocoanut trees. Soon the island and its problems fell away behind us as we picked up speed and headed for north pass which would allow us to escape the lagoon and head out to the open ocean. The 4 passengers stood on the side of the boat holding onto something with Gary at the helm. The boat was bouncing against the waves and I could feel the spray in my face. I felt liberated to be both on a boat and away from the island. In about 15 minutes we were approaching the pass. The waves were mixed causing the boat to bob in a disorganized manner. We slowed and I looked across at the islands we were passing which were densely covered with brush and cocoanut trees. It wasn’t but a few minutes till we were out in the ocean. Gary picked up speed and turned the boat to starboard heading along the north coast of the island. There was a rumor that Amelia Earhart had been kept prisoner in the Japanese buildings I had passed earlier on my way to the dive shack and that she had been eventually brought out to one of these islands and was beheaded by the Japanese. Another rumor was that they found a satchel with the initials A.E. on it. I would have loved to stop on one of these islands for a look around but the Army had forbidden it. So we continued down the coast now feeling the larger swells of the open ocean. Flying fish glided next to the boat showing their own freedom from the ocean just as being on the ocean rather than the confines of the island gave me a feeling of exhiliration and a sense of truly living. The spot we called Speedball was located off the coast of Roi close to a former missile launcher which bears the same name. The ocean changes from an torquise green to dark blue as the plate of the island drops off into the depths of the truly deep sea. The Pacific is at one of its deepest off the shores of the Marshall Islands. Trianglating between several distinctive landmarks on shore we found the location to drop our anchors. It was time now to don our equipment and to experience the wonders of the depths. Jackie and Hank would be my buddies for this dive while Brian and Gary would pair up as buddies as well. Hank helped me put my BC on as I did for him and Jackie then I secured it, tested my regulator, and without further ado stepped off the boat into another world. I inflated my BC and gave the crew the signal I was OK, then I waited on the surface for them to join me. Once my partners were in the water I deflated my BC and began my descent.
As you sink deeper into the world below the surface it becomes a monocolor world or greys, green, and blue. We were surrounded by what seemed like a trillion fish of many varieties. There were large parrot fish eating and pooping at about the same rate, there were Sergent majors known for their chevron stripes, threatening looking but harmless wahoo, a great variety of surgeon fish from the blue tang to the generally pale black stripe surgeon fish. We descended in a group down the side of the ledge then broke into our groups once we had dropped to around 100 feet. There in the depths below us we could see an uncomfortable amount of sharks swimming in a circle in the depths below us. We saw white tip, black tip, and gray sharks. Gary and Brian who had been here many times and were perhaps immune to the spectacle below us broke off and started once again their never ending quest to find golden cowrie shells. Jackie and Hank swam along the ledge but I contended myself to sit on a rock. I pictured in my mind having a picnic on a mountain side looking at a valley below but in this case the mountainside was the coral ledge and the valley was the depths of the ocean deep. Surprisingly the sharks seemed indifferent to us. I think they were far more interested in the tuna and as long as we kept our distance they paid us no mind. A felt a lethargy that may have been the beginning of narcosis. My training had told me of the warning signs and I decided I was best to catch up with Jackie and Hank. I headed off in the direction I had last seen them but they must have had too much of a head start. I was alone with the sharks. I saw a shadow pass overhead and saw 3 spotted eagle rays gliding along about 30 feet above me. The visibility near Roi was fantastic somewhere in the range or 100 feet on an average day. I moved along the ledge and could occasionally see orange and white anemone fish darting out from amongst the anemone from which they get their name. I don’t know what made me sense it but I turned around to see a large white tip not ten feet behind me. I pressed myself close against the coral ledge holding myself still in hopes he wouldn’t notice me. He passed by me once and seemed to disappear ahead only to come back my way as I started to move again. I repeated my previous precaution as he passed me again this time closer. Distances can be deceptive underwater but it seemed to me he wasn’t a yard away. I could see his dark eyes and was sure they were staring into my soul. My friends were no where to be seen. I felt more alone than I ever had in my life, not just due to the absense of friends but being in a world far different than the world I was use to. It was as if I was isolated on another planet surrounded by strange hostile aliens. I checked the time and my air supply and though I’d only been underwater 15 minutes my air supply had gone down from the original 3000 lbs. to only 1500. As the shark passed I decided to gradually make my way towards the surface and with luck as I got into shallower water he would lose his unnatural interest in me. I had made it to about 60 feet when he passed my way again. It seemed each time to be closer but my rational mind told me it could not have been closer than the time before. I had been told that they tasted you by rubbing against you. I was not sure how I would react if he did that and I didn’t want to find out. I’m made it to 40 feet when he passed my way once again. This time he suddenly accelerated and I could see his jaws open. With a sudden shake of his tail he accelerated with unbelievable speed towards me. I froze in a panic only to see him dart pass me and snatch a passing tuna. I thanked all the heavens above and any god that had ever existed whether real or imagined that it was the tuna and not me he ate. I managed to make my way to a coral head at 20 feet and did a safety stop to allow myself to decompress and my heart rate to slow. I could see Jackie and Hank making their way back towards me about 20 feet below. They too had begun to search the wall for cowries and I could see Hank had found one. Jackie glanced up and waved at me and I waved back to acknowledge I was alright. After waiting another 5 minutes on the coral head I went back to the boat with only about 400 lbs of air left. I think that was the fastest I had ever gone through air. I followed the anchor chain up to the boat and climbed up the ladder into it. As the water dropped off my equipment I removed my mask and BC and with a welcome feeling of relief sat down on the deck a minute to breathe once again the air of the surface and to look above on the sun and clouds that were apart of the world that I knew.
I secured my equipment and pondered on the difference between a perceived danger such as the shark that befriended me and life on the island which I had assumed would be a safe place for me when I moved there. I would have thought Roi was a safe protected environment far from the hazards of the modern world but I have lived there a short time and already two people I know are dead and perhaps murdered and no one seems to know for sure. It had been only a couple days since Duane had been found dead, washed up on the beach no less, so we still didn’t know what happened to him but you have to believe when a man in his early middle age suddenly turns up dead on a beach there is something strange going on.
Just then, Jackie emerged and I helped her on deck and to take off her equipment. Hank and the rest were still underwater. Once she had settled down I decided to push the subject.
“Jackie, before the other guys get here I need to ask you a few things. What do you think happened to Duane?”
“He washed up onto the beach.”
“I know that but there is more to it then ‘he washed up on the beach’. What do you think caused him to happen to be floating around in the water dead so that he would wash up on the beach?”
“How should I know.”
“Well, you worked with him and the others, has anyone said anything that might make you think what happened to him?”
“No I don’t and all I know is not to ask too many questions about things that are not my business.”
“I am not meaning to pry but I’ve moved to what I thought was a peaceful island and now all of a sudden two people are dead and Reggie says nothing like this has happened before as long as he’s been here and he’s been here like 10 years I think.”
“I wouldn’t put too much stock in what that pot-head has to say.”
“Look, he may enjoy some gunja from time to time when he’s away from this island but that doesn’t mean he’s dillusional. I can tell there is something strange going on here.”
“I’m not trying to be brusque but it didn’t do Duane any good to ask questions and so I’m not going to either.”
“So he was looking into something. Who was he asking questions to?”
“To the other…” Just then Hank broke the surface.
“Could someone help me with these?”
Hank hoisted a bag full of shells he’d found which I reached down and put onto the deck then took his equipment as he handed it up to me.”
As he climbed on the deck he looked my way and asked “What happened to you Matt you didn’t keep up with us?”
“I stayed and watched the sharks circling.”
“Well you may be watching them eat you if you get stuck down there. If you’re going to dive with us you need to follow the rules.”
“Relax Hank”, Jackie interjected with her sweetest voice, “Matt is new here and hasn’t seen anything like Speedball before. You probably did the same your first few times down there.”
“Don’t worry Hank, I’ll stay with you on the next dive and I appreciate your concern.” With a guy like Hank I thought it best just to humor him. He was just the sort of guy who got his feathers ruffled easy. He seemed to be the type who bore a grudge against the rest of the world and needed to express it.
Brian and Gary came aboard soon afterwards and we settled down to examing the various shells that everyone found. No one had found the much treasured golden cowrie but Gary had found a nice tiger cowrie and Brian had some nice shells of his own to show.
“So Matty it looked like you came up pretty early did you run out of air quickly?”
“Yes a large white tip got a bit close and I’m afraid I let it get to me and I breathed too fast”.
“Well you’ll want to be careful. Going through your air like that is more dangerous than these sharks. I’ve never known them to bother anyone who wasn’t spear fishing. You leave them alone and they’ll leave you alone.”
“Don’t worry Gary, Jackie came up soon after and comforted him” Hank teased in a somewhat vicious way.
“You’re just jealous Hank” quipped Brian.
“It was nothing of the sort guys Matt here is just still trying to get use to life on the island and I was explaining to him some what we consider proper ettiquete.”
“Sounds like he was getting a bit fresh” said Hank.
“Well don’t expect to get anywhere with Jackie here she is saving herself for someone much better than any of the likes of us. But if you’re looking for female companionship you could come with me to Ebeye next Saturday night.” invited Brian who always seemed there to rescue the conversation.
“I’m not really looking right now Brian.” I answered.
“Well you should go Matt no matter what the excuse. Getting away from this island and all that is happening on it might do you a world of good and visiting Ebeye is a unique experience. It would do you a world of good.” said Gary.
“Well I have been curious how the natives live and you have a good point about getting away from things for a night or so. Just getting out here on this boat away from the island is doing me some good.”
“It is how I’ve coped for all these years. I don’t really have an interest in going to Ebeye but getting out on the boat and doing some diving is my salvation here.” Gary replied. “Where do you guys want go for our next dive.”
“Well I know I don’t want to go to Ebeye that is for sure. You never know what you might catch there.” Hank had to get his two cents worth in no matter how little value it represented.
“Let’s go to north pass. That’s my favorite spot.” stated Brian.
So we hoisted the anchor and made our way back the way we came towards the pass. We dropped our anchor and by this time our hour safety stop was up and it was time to enter the water again. This next dive I stayed close to Hank and Jackie so that they couldn’t have any complaints. The assortment of fish we saw would have put any Jacque Cousteau special to shame. I saw more sharks and this time I could see them hurding a school of tuna away from me or at least that’s how I pictured it in my mind. They seemed more concerned with keeping the tuna away from me than in eating me so I was quite content with that. I spotted a sea turtle near the surface. It was an outstanding dive, perhaps the best of my life and I had just about lost all thought of the recent events on Roi. I went through my air at a more reasonable rate and emerged from the water at about the same time as the other divers so perhaps I was able to rescue my reputation as a diver somewhat. When the dive was over we hoisted the anchors and headed back to shore without any further incident. I was tired but still felt a certain reluctance to return to shore never knowing what lay in store for me next. Once back at the dive shack it might have been my imagination but it seemed that Jackie went out of her way not to ever be alone with me at any time. I’d have to be careful not to broach that subject with her again until I could regain her confidence if I ever had it to begin with.
As I was climbing on my bike to head back to my room Brian called over to me.
“Matthew, don’t forget about next Saturday. I’m serious about you coming along and I’ll guarantee you a good time no matter what happens. I’ll drop by your office later this week to help you make your plane reservations and to make our plans.”
“Thanks Brian, I think I’m already starting to look forward to it.”
“Great! Have a good one.”
As I started to peddle away I thought I heard Hank mutter “looking forward to the crabs.”