Swimming to the Surface
I am diving inside a wrecked ship. My torch the only illumination. Passage If you go deep enough in the ocean, it is easy to become disoriented, unable Since the deeper we go, the more frequent and longer the decompression stops I have been here before but with the passing of time the landscape has But I am following the small silver balls of oxygen. Keeping an eye on my scuba
is frequently blocked by debris. Superstructures are so festooned with anemone
and seaweed, their function is unrecognizable. Microbial colonies at work
oxidizing iron form delicate fingers of rust, dissolving at the slightest
touch. The ship has been down here a long time.
to discern the difference between up and down. Disorientation while diving can
be perilous. I once dove with someone who, already narcoleptic at that depth,
dropped her flashlight and headed toward it, convinced she needed to go toward
its light.
on the way back up must be, she ran the risk of running out of air. These
decompression stops – which allow for the elimination of dissolved gases from
the body – are critical. Decompress too quickly and the excess nitrogen can be
painful…or lethal.
altered. The ship has shifted, settled. The silt is deeper. I am no longer sure
of my way. I release a few air bubbles. They rise topside, showing me the way
up and out. Because my explorations took me so deep, I will need several
decompression stops. To the uninitiated, it may look as if I am reluctant to
leave my watery environment.
tank gauges and taking whatever time is needed to adjust to the changes in
pressure, I float toward the light of the sun.
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