“That’s close enough for me,” Moses replied. “If the wind gets up and either of us starts draggin’ our anchor we don’ want to be too close.”
Carmen looked at her watch. “It’s nearly three. Come on Andrew, let’s suit up and get on with the search.”
Andrew felt his stomach turn over again, all his fears of sharks and the deep blue sea swirling in his churning insides. But to his own self contempt all he could do was nod and walk back to where his wet suit hung swaying on a coat hanger. Despising himself as a coward and a fool he slowly tugged on the suit and zipped it up, then reluctantly set about checking and fitting the remainder of his equipment. This time he insisted on taking a knife, sliding it onto his weight belt.
After doing the pre-dive checks with Carmen he forced himself to make his way to the railing ahead of her and to jump in. Once again the shock of the cold and of fear gripped him and he had to force them out of his thoughts. The close presence of the dinghy with his father and Jordan in it helped. So did the need to fin strongly to stay hidden from the other launch. The current was much stronger here, but the wave pattern was confused and had not yet settled to the new wind direction.
Carmen joined him. Both bobbed there, finning strongly and held up by their BCDs while they spat in their facemasks, and adjusted them. During this Andrew incautiously left his snorkel out and got a mouth full of salt water. This made him feel even sicker and he hastily rinsed his mask and slipped it on. He found it almost a relief to slip under into the quieter water below the surface zone.
It was scary though. Below and behind loomed the deep water and he had to force himself to keep on releasing air from his BCD to make himself attain negative buoyancy. Then he found he had to fin hard to stay near the launch. Knowing that to a shark beneath him he must be clearly silhouetted helped. To get away from a perceived danger zone Andrew made his way down along the anchor chain as quickly as he could safely equalize.
The anchor was wedged in coral rock and silt only a few metres from the living coral and seeing that made Andrew worry about them possibly causing damage to the reef. He knew it was against the law but he also cared. Satisfied that neither the anchor nor its chain would cause any damage while the wind blew from that direction he turned his attention back to the search.
He recognized the general area where they were and was glad it was close to where he and Carmen had turned back on their first dive. Again he led the way, finning along at a depth of 10 metres, while keeping about 5 metres out from the wall of living coral. ‘Far enough so that no sea snake or moray eel can just lunge out and get me,’ he thought, knowing that such fears were largely irrational, but quite unable to suppress them.
As before he swam with his head continually swivelling, scanning in all directions for any signs of danger (That shark!), and keeping an eye on Carmen as she followed close behind. After only about fifty metres he recognized a particularly brilliant set of huge, overlapping coral ‘plates’. He caught Carmen’s eye and pointed. She nodded and smiled. Soon after that they rounded the curve where they had turned back on their first dive and Andrew again pointed and then waited to check that she was alright.
Above and behind them was the dinghy. It was following their bubbles and could be clearly seen bobbing about on the surface. Feeling happier because of that Andrew swam on. The current was strong but he could not decide if it was stronger than before or not. The tide, he knew, was now on the ebb, but he wasn’t sure what effect that might have on the reef waters. What mattered was that they were able to make steady progress against the current, although it took a continual effort.
Andrew noted a particularly large outcrop of brown coral ahead and hoped it did not harbour any lurking nasties. Just in case there were any he kept a close eye on the crevices in it as he swam around it. Then he looked ahead and the shock caused him to stop finning.
There it was!
The wreck!
CHAPTER 34
CORAL GROWTHS AND SEAWEED
Andrew stared at the weed and coral encrusted shape and felt an intense glow of satisfaction. There could be absolutely no doubt it was the wreck of a large steel ship. There was also no doubt in Andrew’s mind that it was the wreck of the Merinda. ‘No other large ship has ever been reported as missing along this section of the Queensland coast,’ he told himself.
The wreck was lying almost beam on to the reef. The stern was towards Andrew. Only a few metres below him were the rusted remains of what he was sure was the boat deck. Now all that detailed study of the ship’s plans paid off. He saw that the timber planking had all rotted, leaving only the steel framework. This was now so thickly encrusted with coral growths and seaweed that the living matt almost replaced the original decking.
Carmen appeared beside him, obviously grinning. Feeling elated at the success of the search Andrew smiled back and gave her an OK. Then he swam a few metres further out from the wreck to get a clearer view. So absorbed was he that he temporarily forgot to be wary of the gloomy, blue depths to his right. What he could not ignore though was the need to keep finning strongly against the current.
He now saw that the wreck was resting on the edge of a very steep slope. It appeared to be so precarious that he wondered why it had not been dislodged by storms and slipped down into much deeper water. Only when he swam forward to where the bows were hidden in a mass of brown coral did he see that they were deeply embedded in a large crevasse.
‘Smashed into the reef and then broached port side to on the reef,’ he decided.
There was just enough sunlight to see quite clearly for about 20 metres. After that it all got murky and blurred. To get a clearer picture of just how the ship was wedged in the coral Andrew swam slowly forward, keeping about five metres up and out from the starboard size. The wreck swarmed with small fish but he ignored them and even forgot to worry about larger marine creatures. It was the most exciting and fascinating discovery of his whole life and he stared at it in wonder.
The whole of the boat deck had been swept clean by storms. All that remained was the coral and weed encrusted framework. Of the funnel and masts there was no sign. The only signs of the wheelhouse were a few nobbly looking stanchions and what might have once been the pedestal of the binnacle. There was then a sharp drop down to the forward well deck. Here a gaping black rectangle marked where the hatch covers had once been on the cargo hold. That looked quite forbidding although Andrew did note that along this section of the lower hull there were plates missing and a series of jagged gaps showed.
‘She must have been battered a bit by the reef before she swung round to stick the way she now is,’ he thought.
The aft end of the focsle was plain to see. Clearly outlined in it was a doorway. The steel door stood ajar and both it and a companionway beside it were thickly covered with coral and weed growths. Beyond that was a big lump of coral that he thought might hide the remains of a winch or capstan. Forward of that everything was hidden by the reef. This had grown out over the focsle and accounted for the wreck remaining upright and held in place.
Feeling absolutely thrilled, Andrew decided that he should have a look inside. There was only one part of the ship he was really interested in- the strong room. From studying the ship’s plans he knew that was one deck below the main deck and on the starboard side. ‘That should be easy to reach,’ he decided. What he really wanted to know was whether the door to the strongroom was open.
‘If it is then Grandad and Old Mr Murchison did find the wreck and dived on her,’ Andrew told himself. ‘And if the gold is gone, then Murchison took it.’
To do this Andrew allowed the current to take him back along the length of the ship. As he approached the end of the cabins, their locations plainly obvious from the circular portholes, he swam down to the level of the main deck. As he made his way aft he peered briefly into the cabins as he went past each porthole. On reaching the sheltered main deck aft of the cabins he reached out to grasp a stanchion which must have once held the
boat deck up. Just in time he refrained from grasping the coral, remembering that coral could cause nasty cuts which often became infected.
Finning to maintain his position against the current, he looked in under the remains of the boat deck. What he saw caused him a spurt of satisfaction. Directly in front of him and right at the bottom end of the steps leading down from the boat deck, was an open doorway. This led in to the cabins and the passenger’s dining room and saloon.
‘The companionway leading down to the strong room is just to the right inside that door,’ he thought. Impelled by an intense desire to know, he began to swim forward. Suddenly Carmen tapped at his arm. Alarmed that something like the shark might have appeared he looked at her. He saw she was vigorously shaking her head and pointing up. That was the last thing Andrew wanted to do but when he made to resume swimming Carmen actually grabbed his BCD and again shook her head, gesturing even more emphatically to go up.
Fearing that she might be in difficulties, Andrew reluctantly abandoned his exploration and began to inflate his BCD. Carmen did the same and they rose slowly upwards. As they had only been down at 15 metres they were soon on the surface.
Here Andrew fully inflated his BCD to keep his head well clear of the water and quickly swapped his regulator for his snorkel. The size of the waves came as an unpleasant surprise. After removing his face mask and getting a face full of salt water he hastily placed it back on his face. After he had blinked his eyes clear of the stinging salt he looked around. Carmen was floating a couple of metres away and the dinghy was only about 25 metres off and heading towards them.
The dinghy came to a bobbing halt a few metres off. Jordan shook his head and shouted when they went to swim over to it. “Keep clear unless you are in trouble and need to get aboard. I have to keep the prop running to hold her bows on to these waves,” he explained.
Carmen stopped swimming and waved to show she understood and was alright. She took out her snorkel and shouted, “We found her!”
“What?” their father called, cupping his hand behind his ear.
“We found her. She is just down here in about fifteen metres of water. That’s to the main deck.”
“What are you going to do next?” their father queried.
Andrew answered that. “Have a look inside. Can you pass us the waterproof torches please.”
His father looked dubious so Andrew explained further. “The ship is upright. She is lying port side against the reef. The whole thing is covered in coral growths and weeds but she looked safe enough. The door we want is open.”
“I don’t like it,” his father replied.
It was now Carmen who began to argue. “Oh Dad! Fair go! That is the whole reason we came this far. We have to look inside to see if the gold has been taken from the strong room.”
“That is only one deck down and just inside the door,” Andrew supplemented. He was now afraid that they might be thwarted. ‘I just have to know,’ he thought.
Carmen obviously thought so too as she said, “Oh Dad, please! I will lie awake for the rest of my life wondering if we don’t go in and look.”
“We will be very careful,” Andrew added.
“I don’t like it,” his father replied, but that told Andrew that he was weakening. ‘He is torn between giving way to us and the fear of having to explain to Mum how he let us get drowned,’ he deduced.
“Please Dad!” Carmen pleaded. A wave then slopped into her face and caused her to cough and splutter.
Andrew took over. “It is just down there. We can tie the dinghy to the wreck and take a rope in with us to use as a guide in case our torches go out. We will only be ten minutes.”
“Do you have enough air left?” his father asked.
At that Andrew knew they had won. He looked at his gauge and saw it read 150psi. Giving a vigorous nod he said, “Enough for at least twenty minutes.”
“Oh alright, but only for ten minutes,” his father replied. “Now tie us on.”
A rope was passed to Carmen. Each was handed a bright yellow waterproof torch. Andrew replaced his regulator and put his head under. That was a shock. While they had been talking the current had carried them right back around the corner of the reef. He explained the problem and Jordan suggested towing them back into position. Carmen agreed that this was a good idea. Brother and sister then clung to the line while the dinghy slowly butted into the waves.
It was harder to hold on to the line than Andrew had expected but he managed it. The water was so clear that they had no trouble locating the wreck again. After a signal to the boat both put their regulators back in and deflated their BCDs. Carmen took the end of the line and swam down to fasten it to the stanchion near the door. She did this in a way that left about ten metres of loose end. The line up to the surface at once went taut as the dinghy took the strain.
Andrew was now very excited. The idea of diving on a real wreck quite gripped him. Partly this was the ghoulish images of drowned bodies and so on that the accounts that he had read conjured up. There was also the sheer drama and pathos of it all- the tragedy at sea, the lure of sunken treasure.
But at the doorway he paused. Inside looked very dark and gloomy and fears began to seep back in. ‘What if I get snagged and Carmen can’t get me free?’ he thought. Ghastly images of drowning filled his mind. Having nearly drowned twice in Ross River the previous January, and having watched several people drown, he had a deep fear of dying that way.
Then other fears assailed him: of sea snakes, moray eels, of being grabbed by a giant octopus, of sharks and barracuda. It was all enough to make him pause.
While he did Carmen swam past him, taking the end of the rope with her. With a look to check he was following she swam in through the doorway. After that there was nothing for it but to follow. There was no way he would let his sister get into a situation of danger if he could help it. Taking care to avoid the growths festooning the edges of the doorway he swam in.
Once through the door Andrew found it was not nearly as dark as it had looked. So much sunlight came in through the gaps in the rotted boat deck that he could clearly see they were in a corridor at the top of the steps leading down to the lower deck. Down there looked considerably darker and both paused. Close on their left was a doorway in a long bulkhead which extended right across the ship. The door had been wood and was completely gone. A quick look inside confirmed that the large cabin inside had once been the passengers dining room and saloon.
The place was alive with hundreds of small, brilliantly coloured fish. Andrew watched them dart for cover as he and Carmen swam in. There was nothing much to see so they swam back out again, both bumping their air tanks against the doorway as they did.
In line with the top of the steps was another corridor. This ran forward through the superstructure. It was well lit along its whole length by the sunlight streaming in from above through the remains of the boat deck. The handrail shielding the companionway was still in position and Andrew grabbed it to hold himself while he directed the beam of his torch down the hole. It was an action he instantly regretted as the handrail was covered with slimy weed and dozens of small barnacles. Several small cuts resulted.
As the current was much weaker inside the wreck Andrew let go and used his hands and fins to keep away from the walls. Carmen pointed along the corridor toward a door and swam that way. Andrew wanted to go down to the strong room but she had the rope so he followed. The door was also of wood and looked very rotten. From memory Andrew knew it led into the cabin he had briefly glanced into from outside, one of the First Class cabins. There was a door knob, greenish and slimy looking, and Carmen reached down and tugged at it.
For a moment Andrew experienced a horrible feeling of dread, engendered by the diver’s accounts of the wreck of the Gothenburg. Into his mind came ghastly images of drowned girls in long white dresses, their long hair drifting in the wave motion and their arms rising and falling. The image was so powerful he shivered and almost reached out to stop C
armen.
The door disintegrated under Carmen’s pressure. A swirl of rotten wood, slime and other particles engulfed them both for a few seconds, before the current swept it away. Brother and sister peered around the door posts. There were no drowned maidens, just some alarmed tropical fish whose secure home had been destroyed. The small fish flitted off up through the gaps in the overhead stringers or out through the broken porthole.
It had once been a passenger’s cabin but now it was just a mush of silt and growths of coral and weed. Quite a strong current flowed in. Carmen looked around then shook her head and turned to make her way back to the top of the steps. Still haunted by the thoughts of drowned girls Andrew was glad to follow her.
As he did a coil of the rope entangled him and he had to stop and remove it. The thought that the rope might be more dangerous than helpful crossed his mind and he made sure he pushed it well clear as he swam back to the companionway.
Once again they paused. Andrew again clicked on his torch and shone it down. In the beam he saw the outline of the strong room door. To his sharp disappointment he saw that it was closed. That motivated him to go down. This time he led the way. In his haste he misjudged the clearance and his J-valve and air tank whacked sharply against the coaming of the hatchway.
He swam down head first and then had to do a contortionist act to turn himself right way up at the bottom. As he did several powerful emotions gripped him. The strongest was fear. It was much darker and the torch beam looked quite feeble. There was also a vivid picture of what it might have been like for an old-fashioned helmet diver to come down those stairs. The mental image of the diver trailing his vulnerable air hose and safety line, and of how restricted his vision must have been, made Andrew shudder with apprehension, even as he was struck with admiration for the courage it must have required.
‘If he got caught somehow, his boots or hose snagged on something, he would have been done for,’ he thought.
Davey Jones's Locker Page 38