To Andrew that dark blue, with its rippling waves and touches of purple and flecks of white, was a terrible place that he did not want to go to. That was where the big fish lived- and the even bigger things with teeth. It was no good the books and instructors telling him that shark attacks on divers were very rare. His rational mind was overridden by his deepest fears and by the memory of Max’s bloody stump.
‘It’s a long way back to the beach,’ he observed unhappily. From that far out the island seemed to have shrunk to only half its size.
None of the others seemed to be worried at all and they floated around the raft with smiles on their faces and chatted happily as they bobbed on the small waves. One by one Sub Lt Sheldon took them to do a navigation swim. The others waited. As he floated there, suspended comfortably by his BCD, Andrew had to continually hold mounting fear at bay. His dominant concern was of just letting his legs dangle down below him. To him they were just bait tempting any shark to rush in and grab. Into his mind kept flashing images of Max’s leg and ghastly thoughts of the ripping of flesh and blood vessels and the grinding of muscle, gristle and bone as the shark’s teeth had torn the lower leg off. The fear was so strong Andrew had to continually fight the urge to curl his legs up, though he frequently did. The other fear was the mask flood test. With every second it got closer and he became more tense.
The navigation was easy. Andrew enjoyed that and was anxious to demonstrate his skill and understanding. It was just the need to swim across several deep gutters in the coral that got him worrying. All the time he was aware of that gloom from the deeper water further out.
Then the real testing began. Once every person had done their navigation Sub Lt Sheldon again briefed them and then signalled to dive. Resisting a panic attack Andrew swapped his snorkel for his regulator, adjusted his facemask and began to let air out of his BCD, all the while watching Muriel as she did the same. Very slowly he sank below the surface of the water and then below the depth which the waves affected. Pressure equalization was no problem and he was able to control his descent.
Looking down he saw a nice area of clear sand between clumps of coral and was able to descend onto it, quite close to where the lead anchor weight of the float lay. Muriel settled beside him and he could see her eyes smiling. He gave her an OK sign and settled to rest on his knees. Above him Shona and Blake were again both having difficulties in descending. Carmen and Luke just settled and joined the line. While they waited Andrew looked around, noting numerous small fish, many of which were brilliantly banded with purple, black and blue.
When Shona and Blake had joined them the two instructors settled, PO Walker behind. Sub Lt Sheldon then swam slowly along, checking that each diver was alright. Despite his fear Andrew gave him a confident OK sign. Sub Lt Sheldon then got them all to do a fin pivot. That involved getting their buoyancy just right so that, when lying face downwards, they would pivot up to 45 degrees on the tips of their fins when they drew in a breath, then sink back to horizontal as they breathed out. Andrew actually enjoyed that but he was still feeling very anxious. He was acutely aware they were 9 metres down- his depth gauge told him that- and he was also still fretting about what might suddenly appear from the gloom.
Just breathing normally became a bit of a test for him. His mouth began to dry out and he was very conscious of the noises of the breathing equipment and of the fact that it was what was stopping him from drowning. Several times he tilted his head back to watch the bubbles he exhaled as they made their way upwards.
‘The surface is just up there,’ he told himself as he looked at the moving pattern of sunlight and shadow from the waves. He again comforted himself by think he could just swim up there if he had to. But even so, in his anxiety, he trouble breathing. Several times he had to resist the urge to hold his breath. Of more concern was the feeling that he might vomit.
‘If I do I must take my regulator out and just float up without trying to breathe in,’ he reminded himself. ‘And keep on emitting bubbles.’
It was all very stressful! And now the worst part of the test began- the mask flood. This time it was a complete mask flood. His heart hammering with anxiety Andrew watched as Luke flooded his mask and cleared it. He did it quickly and with minimum fuss. So did Carmen, much to Andrew’s relief as he wanted her to be good at diving and to enjoy it. Muriel also made it look easy. Then Sub Lt Sheldon moved along in front of Andrew and signalled for him to do the test.
For a few seconds Andrew hesitated. By a deliberate act of will he put his hands up to the top of his mask and went to break the seal. Fear then froze him and his breathing became uneven and he felt the bile rise into his throat, gagging him. ‘Stay calm!’ he told himself. ‘It’s only water! You can swim underwater in the pool without any face mask at all. You do that all the time!’
Still he could not bring himself to do it. ‘Come on, you coward!’ he chided, hotly aware that the others were all watching. ‘Muriel is watching. You don’t want her to think you are gutless!’
Taking a deep breath he pulled at the top of his face mask. Salt water squirted in and he had to struggle not to panic. With an effort he kept the seal broken until he felt sure the mask was fully flooded. To check he forced his eyes open to look. Yes, the mask was full. Through a blur he could see Sub Lt Sheldon waiting. ‘Breathe normally,’ he warned himself, very aware he was gasping and almost choking. With an effort of will he slowed his breathing. Then he placed his finger tips onto the top of the mask, tilted his head back and blew through his nose.
It worked, but not completely. Annoyed and scared he blew several more times until he could see properly. Another two snorts left only an irritating residue in the bottom of the mask. Blinking and panting with relief Andrew faced Sub Lt Sheldon, who swam over to him and then shook his hand and clapped. As he had not done that for the others Andrew became anxious lest the others realized he was scared of the mask clearing.
‘I did it!’ he thought. ‘Only once more and it is over.’ During the fourth and final Open Water dive they had to completely remove the mask and then replace it. That now loomed as a real test. While Shona and Blake were tested Andrew knelt on the bottom and watched, deliberately calming his breathing. He even remembered to check air pressure with Muriel. As he did he tried to act calm and as though nothing had happened.
He was surprised to note that his remaining air had fallen to only 80 and he signalled that to Sub Lt Sheldon. Most of the others signalled 100, telling Andrew that he was breathing too often and too deeply. Once again he tried to steady himself. It was with genuine relief that he saw the signal to surface. That was a pleasure to do and he allowed himself to float slowly up, keeping with the others in a steady ascent.
Once on the surface Sub Lt Sheldon had each in turn take off their BCD and tank, then sit on it before putting it back on, all while bobbing in the small waves. Andrew had no problems with that. Nor did he encounter difficulty with the test of removing his weight belt (without dropping it - or any of the lead weights) and putting it back on again while out in the water. He was just glad to be up on the surface in God’s good air. His main impression, apart from feeling relieved, was the taste of the salt in the seawater.
Then it was back to the beach. Andrew wanted to get away from that deep water as quickly as he could but found he was both tired and puffed. The swim back was something of a test on its own. Wading in the shallows and lugging the gear up the beach was a real effort, which surprised him. ‘I’m not as fit as I thought,’ he mused.
While they took their gear off Andrew looked happily around, blinking with pleasure in the bright sunshine. Feeling quite elated he sniffed at the sea air and licked salt from his lips. ‘I did it!’ he told himself. He grinned at the others and went on de-suiting. Fins, face mask and weight belt were placed in a carry box. Then he took his air tank and placed it with the others lying on the tarpaulin. He then helped Muriel and Carmen with theirs. Next he unzipped and tugged off his wet suit. As he did the breeze
chilled him and he shivered. The urgent need to go to the toilet distracted him.
So did Shona’s bikini top. It had small cups which seemed to barely hold her breasts in. As she bent forward to do things to her diving gear it looked to Andrew that they would fall right out and several times he glimpsed part of her nipples. It got his heart beating faster and he licked his lips with guilty lust, before making himself look away.
By then Andrew was both very thirsty and hungry but Sub Lt Sheldon would not let them go. “First you must work out your Dive Tables,” he insisted. This was part of the test so they sat and set to work with pencil and paper on prepared work sheets. For ten minutes Andrew struggled with the mathematics of Residual Nitrogen, Actual Bottom Times and Total Bottom Times. He found reading the double-sided dive tables easy but still felt he did not fully understand. To his satisfaction Sub Lt Sheldon marked his answer correct.
They then had to fill out their dive logs and both Sub Lt Sheldon and PO Walker signed these. Sub Lt Sheldon then said, “You need a break before you do another dive. Next time we are going down to eighteen metres. So, to allow your residual nitrogen to dissipate to a safe level we will have an hour and a half break. Have lunch now and then walk around the island. Be back here by two O’clock.”
Andrew shivered. ‘Two hours, then one last test,’ he told himself. He shivered again and wrapped the towel more tightly around his shoulders. Beside him Muriel wrapped her towel around her waist and sat down with a drink of cordial and a sandwich. Andrew thought she looked very pretty, even with her hair all tousled and damp. Seeing him looking at her caused her to smile back. That got his hopes up. ‘I might be able to win her heart,’ he thought.
For twenty minutes the group sat and happily ate and drank. Then they began to disperse. Andrew took himself off to find a toilet. On his return he found only Carmen and Muriel. “Where are the others?” he asked.
“Gone sightseeing,” Muriel replied.
Andrew nodded, then plucked up the courage to ask, “I’m going to walk around the island. Would you like to come?”
Muriel smiled and said yes, sending his hopes even higher. To try to make out it was nothing special Andrew turned to Carmen, who was lying reading a book, and asked, “You coming Sis?”
Carmen looked at them and shook her head. “No thanks. Make sure you are back on time.”
Andrew slipped on a shirt and hat, then waited while Muriel applied some more sun lotion. The smell of that, mingled with the sea smells and aromas from the island all combined to make Andrew feel good. As the pair began walking counter-clockwise around the beach he breathed deeply and looked happily around. To him everything was just about perfect: the sunlight sparkling on the sea, the palm trees waving in the gentle breeze, the gritty feel of the coral sand between his toes. He pretended to study the distant coastal mountains but actually looked at Muriel, admiring her lithe, athletic form with its graceful feminine curves.
In his happiness Andrew felt almost overwhelmed by the sheer ‘tropicalness’ and beauty of the place. The lush green of the palms and other vegetation was balanced by the bright, white coral sand. This shaded into the clear water, which gave way to pale greens and browns as the water grew deeper or gave way to corals. The line of white surf which rimmed the outer edge of the reef then gave a bright contrast to the darker blue of the deep sea. Even the clouds looked bright and clean, as though they had been washed and hung up to dry.
Andrew and Muriel strolled slowly along, picking up sea shells and commenting on the view. There were a few other people lying on the beach or under the trees to begin with but after a few hundred metres they had the place to themselves. ‘Oh! I wish Muriel was my girlfriend,’ Andrew thought. ‘We might hold hands and have a kiss then.’
After walking another couple of hundred paces they were on the far side of the island. This was the windward side and was much cooler. The view was also quite different. Now the grey-green mountains were off to the right and the view ahead was out over a few hundred metres of shallow coral reef to a line of breakers and then to the deep water of the ocean. The deep water was a dark blue and the waves appeared to be much larger than before. In the far distance Andrew noted the upper works of a big ship that was heading north inside the main reef.
For something to say he pointed to this. Muriel replied, “Where?” and leaned over so that her bare upper arm touched his as she squinted along his pointing arm. The touch seemed to electrify Andrew and his whole body reacted. His heart hammered faster and he gulped air as though he was doing the mask flood test. Turning to her he said, “I think you are a really nice person.”
Muriel looked at him and their eyes met. “I think you are too,” she answered.
For a moment Andrew was tongue-tied but then he swallowed and stammered, “I.. I.. I’d like to be your friend.”
For a few seconds her eyes searched his face. Then she nodded and smiled. “I’d like that too,” she answered.
Andrew could not believe his ears. His heart seemed to leap and sing. Without realizing what he was doing he reached out and gently took her hand. She squeezed his and let him keep hold as they resumed walking. Her hand felt warm but slightly gritty from the dry salt and sun oil. Andrew licked his salty lips and sighed softly with relief and happiness. He did not push his luck by trying anything more and was happy just to walk along holding her hand and talking.
They seemed to have a hundred things to tell each other and before they really wanted to be they were around on the sheltered side of the island again. Almost at once Andrew was tested again. As they rounded the gentle curve of the shoreline he saw three people frolicking in the shallow water just off the beach. He took no particular notice until he and Muriel were only about fifty paces away. Only then did he realize that the three were naked. All three came walking up out of the water, laughing and talking quickly in some foreign language.
Seeing the three nudes: two women and a man, immediately sent Andrew into a turmoil of embarrassment and anxiety. One of the women was very buxom. Her large breasts swung and wobbled as she walked and the sight was enough to send Andrew’s mouth dry. The man was fit and had an all-over tan and his penis was long and uncircumcised.
‘Oh dear! I don’t want Muriel to see this,’ Andrew thought, not wishing her to be affronted. He was also embarrassed at seeing the naked man’s penis waggling as he walked. But what to do? To turn around and walk away would make the incident even more obvious. He decided to act ‘cool’ and to ignore them. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at Muriel, trying to judge her reactions. By then the three tourists had walked up the beach in front of them and had picked up towels and begun to dry themselves. They glanced at Muriel and Andrew but then ignored them, apparently unconcerned at being seen nude.
Burning with embarrassment Andrew kept his eyes averted as he and Muriel walked past. Once they were out of earshot he said, “Sorry about that.”
Muriel shrugged. “Just some tourists,” she replied. “Swedish or Danish I think.”
“I didn’t want you to be offended,” Andrew explained.
“I’m not, so stop worrying,” Muriel replied.
That put Andrew into an even bigger turmoil: if Muriel didn’t mind that sort of thing would she ever do it with him? Surging fantasies of lust began to battle with his values about decency and how to behave. It left him all mixed up and despising himself for having such weak and lustful thoughts. Memories of nudity on Endeavour Island added to his discomfort, causing him to become very aroused and battling to control it.
There were more little tests like this to come. First they walked past two more nudes, a man and a woman. They were lying face down on towels so, apart from their bare backsides and the bulge of the woman’s breasts, there wasn’t much to see. Andrew just pretended not to be interested.
Next they passed several sunbathing female tourists who were topless. Some of these lay on their back and one girl was sitting up oiling her skin with sun lotion. She glanced at An
drew and just kept on with rubbing the oil on her left arm. His desire shot up and he could not help noting, and admiring, her nicely tanned, pointy breasts as they trembled to her movements.
To Andrew’s surprise Muriel said, “She’s got a nice body.”
His response was to grunt and pretend he had not looked. However his mind was a riot of speculation. Would Muriel do something like that? ‘Do I want her to?’ he wondered. To his own disgust he knew he did.
By then the pier had come back into view. The beach from here on was thick with tourists but they were all dressed. Seeing a boat bobbing close to the end of the pier got Andrew's heart rate going again. ‘Time for the final test,’ he thought, his anxiety level shooting up and driving all thoughts of sex from his mind.
CHAPTER 7
FINAL TEST?
This time the group swam right out to the edge of the reef. That was a real test for Andrew. As the dark blue water got closer he became more and more scared. When they finally reached the edge of the deep water he was almost on the edge of panic and was having to struggle with himself to hide it from the others. He grabbed the float and clung to it with his legs curled up underneath and panted for breath.
Seeing a floatplane come in to land a few hundred metres away did little to help. That brought to the front of his consciousness vivid flashbacks of the plane crash he had survived the previous year. It had been a day trip to Green Island and a day just like this. The plane had come down in the sea and flipped over. Somehow Andrew had got out, helped by Graham Kirk. They had then pulled the unconscious pilot from the sinking wreck and then saved their crippled friend Ken. Ken had been in a wheelchair. For the next 15 hours they had struggled to stay alive, being borne northwards by the current. The fact that an obvious current was even now tugging at Andrew did nothing to ease his fears because the current was flowing away from Green Island and the fringing reef and out into the deeper water.
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