giving each other an iota of leeway they managed to get their flippers on their feet. Michael even tried to reach his hat while Richard proceeded to don his buoyancy vest and weight belt, but it was beyond his grasp, as he'd feared. Five minutes later the winch operator's voice told them they were passing through nine hundred feet. With that announcement the descent slowed appreciably. While Richard and Michael tried to stay out of the way, Louis readied the hoses. As the bell diver it fell to him to handle the lines. "Powering the exterior lights," Larry announced. Richard and Michael twisted themselves enough to glance out the two tiny view ports opposite each other. Louis was too busy to look out either of the two remaining windows. "I see bottom," Richard said.
"Me, too," Michael said.
With a single main hoisting cable the diving bell was rotating slowly, although its rotation was restricted by the life-support lines. The bell would rotate in one direction for several revolutions and then turn and go the other way. As the bell settled down to the 980-foot mark and stopped, the rotation slowed to a stop as well, but not before each diver had been afforded a 360-degree view. Since the bell was suspended fourteen feet above the rock face at one of the higher sections of the seamount's summit, the divers could see a relatively wide area bounded by the illumination of the exterior halogen lights. Their view was somewhat restricted only to the west, where it was blocked by a ridge of rock. To Richard and Michael the ridge appeared like a series of connected columns whose crest was slightly higher than their line of sight. But even that formation was at the periphery of the sphere of light. "Do you see the sub?" Richard asked Michael. "Nope," Michael said. "But I can see the bits and the tools by the well head. They're all stacked up nice and neat."
Richard leaned away from the view port and tilted his face up toward the camcorder.
"That's a negative on the Oceanus, " he said. "But she's been here."
"That means there will be a change in the dive plan," Larry's voice answered. "Mr. Davidson wants red and green divers to proceed due west. Can you make out a scarp in that direction?" "What the hell is a scarp?" Richard asked. "It's a wall or cliff," Mark's voice cut in. "Yeah, I guess," Richard said. He looked back out at the columnar ridge. "Mr. Davidson wants you to proceed over the ridge," Larry said. "How high is the ridge in relation to the bell?"
"About even," Richard said.
"All right, swim over the ridge and see if you can make visual contact with the submersible. Mr. Davidson thinks there might be a crevice. And watch the temperature. Apparently there's quite a gradient in the area."
"Got it," Richard said.
"Remember," Larry added, "you're limited to a one-fifty deep excursion dive. Don't rise more than ten feet above the bell. We don't want any bends to muck things up. Understood?" "Got it," Richard repeated. Larry's admonitions were the standard for a saturation dive. "Bell diver," Larry said, "the breathing mixture is to stay at one and a half percent oxygen and ninety-eight and a half percent helium. Do you copy?" "I copy," Louis said.
"One last thing," Larry said. "Red and green diver, I don't want any of you macho bums taking any chances, so be careful!"
"Check!" Richard said. He gave a thumbs-up sign for the camcorder's benefit while making a scornful face at Michael and saying: "Telling us to be careful down here is like telling your kid to be careful before sending him out to play in the middle of the interstate." Michael nodded but he wasn't listening. This part of the dive was serious. He was all business while attaching his umbilical and other paraphernalia. When he was ready Louis handed him his full face mask cradled in a bright orange fiberglass helmet. Michael held it under his arm to wait for Richard. Despite his extensive experience he always got butterflies just before entering the water. Richard quickly
"Me, too," Michael said.
With a single main hoisting cable the diving bell was rotating slowly, although its rotation was restricted by the life-support lines. The bell would rotate in one direction for several revolutions and then turn and go the other way. As the bell settled down to the 980-foot mark and stopped, the rotation slowed to a stop as well, but not before each diver had been afforded a 360-degree view. Since the bell was suspended fourteen feet above the rock face at one of the higher sections of the seamount's summit, the divers could see a relatively wide area bounded by the illumination of the exterior halogen lights. Their view was somewhat restricted only to the west, where it was blocked by a ridge of rock. To Richard and Michael the ridge appeared like a series of connected columns whose crest was slightly higher than their line of sight. But even that formation was at the periphery of the sphere of light. "Do you see the sub?" Richard asked Michael. "Nope," Michael said. "But I can see the bits and the tools by the well head. They're all stacked up nice and neat."
Richard leaned away from the view port and tilted his face up toward the camcorder.
"That's a negative on the Oceanus, " he said. "But she's been here."
"That means there will be a change in the dive plan," Larry's voice answered. "Mr. Davidson wants red and green divers to proceed due west. Can you make out a scarp in that direction?" "What the hell is a scarp?" Richard asked. "It's a wall or cliff," Mark's voice cut in. "Yeah, I guess," Richard said. He looked back out at the columnar ridge. "Mr. Davidson wants you to proceed over the ridge," Larry said. "How high is the ridge in relation to the bell?"
"About even," Richard said.
"All right, swim over the ridge and see if you can make visual contact with the submersible. Mr. Davidson thinks there might be a crevice. And watch the temperature. Apparently there's quite a gradient in the area."
"Got it," Richard said.
"Remember," Larry added, "you're limited to a one-fifty deep excursion dive. Don't rise more than ten feet above the bell. We don't want any bends to muck things up. Understood?" "Got it," Richard repeated. Larry's admonitions were the standard for a saturation dive. "Bell diver," Larry said, "the breathing mixture is to stay at one and a half percent oxygen and ninety-eight and a half percent helium. Do you copy?" "I copy," Louis said.
"One last thing," Larry said. "Red and green diver, I don't want any of you macho bums taking any chances, so be careful!"
"Check!" Richard said. He gave a thumbs-up sign for the camcorder's benefit while making a scornful face at Michael and saying: "Telling us to be careful down here is like telling your kid to be careful before sending him out to play in the middle of the interstate." Michael nodded but he wasn't listening. This part of the dive was serious. He was all business while attaching his umbilical and other paraphernalia. When he was ready Louis handed him his full face mask cradled in a bright orange fiberglass helmet. Michael held it under his arm to wait for Richard. Despite his extensive experience he always got butterflies just before entering the water. Richard quickly
Similar Books
