Heir to Disaster
Just fifteen years out of the Navy.
I’ve done it plenty of times.
What could be so hard?
Stop into the dive shop and ask
about charters. On something deep,
of course. That should be no problem.
So I’ll flash my certification,
rent every piece of gear, down to the fins,
and show up at the dock next morning.
Three two-man buddy teams.
What’s one more man? Make one three.
What could possibly go wrong?
Nice backward roll into the water,
gather my senses and start the descent.
Man, those other guys move fast!
That is one big freighter!
And there they are waiting at the ship’s rail.
Wait a minute. Why is it so hard to breathe?
What does a guy do to get attention?
Maybe someone will notice my panicked look.
Someone checks my gauges. There’s an idea!
Almost out of air. At least they have some left.
Nothing left to do, but buddy breathe and surface.
Maybe I’ll have better luck on the other dives.
This is my response (more narrative than poetic) to Poetics: Exploring the Narrative Voice, the prompt from Ingrid at dVerse ~ Poets Pub, which is to write a poem in the voice of a fictional character.
Let’s call this fictional, since I don’t identify the diver, but this actually happened on a dive in the Straits of Mackinac. I chartered a dive boat so that five of my friends could join me, wreck diving in Michigan’s narrow strait between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. At the dock, the boat captain asked if a guy could join us. He had done plenty of dives while in the Navy. We were doing three dives, so we agreed he could be a third man with each of our teams, on separate dives – one team in the water at a time. As the deepest of the wrecks (110 feet to the bottom), the Cedarville was to be our first dive, and he joined my dive buddy and me. When we reached the rail of the ship at 70 feet, I could see he was having difficulties. I checked his air gauge and saw he didn’t have enough left to make the ascent with a decompression stop, let alone to explore the wreck. We had to abort the dive, and he ended up breathing from my tank, until we reached the surface. Air in a scuba tank will expand with ascent, and when he saw his air gauge rise he bolted to the surface as we stayed at the decompression stop.
Images source: Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve Asociation
rivrvlogr 
Well, that sure is a harrowing tale! I was captivated. Btw I couldn’t respond on your Post Page, the Comment box was too narrow and scrunched. Luckily, I can via email reply.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Lynn.
And I wonder why that is. It seems to appear fine at this end.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I can’t see what I’m writing so hopefully not gobbledy goo here as I try again. Mystery!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Frightening. Thus, well told.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Daniel.
LikeLike
Ken,
That was suspenseful! I was holding my breath at the end. Glad it worked out! Whew.
~🕊Dora
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Dora. The rest of the day was uneventful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderfully penned though frightening for me as my son is a diver.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Helen. It’s a situation that no diver wants to experience, but should be prepared for. It’s more common now for divers to have an extra, smaller tank strapped to the main tank for backup.
LikeLike
Well good thing disaster was averted and the diver was able to breathe and surface. I like how you got into his head and his thoughts during the crisis. Thanks for joining in.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Grace. I’d never thought of looking at it from this perspective.
LikeLike
My mother was terrified of water and she taught me well. Just reading your tale gave me the vapors!! It was, however, riveting reading!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Beverly. 🙂
LikeLike
The imagery woven here is excellent! The “Almost out of air,” is palpable and had me on the edge of my sofa as I read on. You rocked the prompt! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀 Thank you, Sanaa!
LikeLike
What an adventure! I think I’ll stay sipping margaritas on the shore, myself! 🍷
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like a good idea!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Truly terrifying and frightening. You definitely do evoke that type of mood and I can feel that tension all throughout. Thank goodness the guy was okay, something like that happened to a friend of mine too. Definitely an adventure that would be hard to forget for sure! It’s reasonable why people are afraid of the water at this point (me, included).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Lucy. Fortunately, the rest of the day was uneventful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
YIKES! For all involved, not just the narrator.
Your narrative leaves the reader in suspense – an equipment failure? Or did the diver learn something new about his aging body? Did he attempt the other 2 dives?
LikeLiked by 1 person
As it turned out, his recent dives weren’t so recent, and at that depth it can be pretty cold – probably 45°. He hyperventilated on the way down, burning up most of his air. He was super apologetic afterwards, but ruined the best dive of the day for me and my partner. His second and third dives were uneventful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And years later he sorta makes it up to you (w/o knowing so) by being fodder for this poem! Interesting how things connect.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Talk about nerve-wracking! I’m guessing it was a “no” for him on the other 2 dives.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He did dive the other two wrecks, with no incident. Depth & compression, cold water, and a long absence from diving — all combined — likely led to hyperventilation. Unfortunately, it ruined the best dive of the trip for my partner and me, especially considering the 8 hour drive, one-way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was a captivating tale, Ken, and I loved how you told it from the beleaguered diver’s perspective: a great use of the prompt!
I don’t think I would make a good diver myself but I’m fascinated by the idea of finding historical relics on the sea bed. There’s a wreck just off the Slovenian coast of the liner Rex sunk by the Allies in WW2. I was fascinated to learn my husband had dived down there.
As for running out of air, I watched a documentary on Netflix recently called ‘Last Breath,’ about a diver who survived being without oxygen for 35 minutes. He describes his experience at the end.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Ingrid. That documentary looks interesting. I’ll have to check it out.
I was certified in several courses in the 1980s, including Wreck, Rescue, and Ice Diving. Even as a recreational diver, I had opportunities to use something from all of the courses. But, I started having predictable (& unpredictable) vertigo issues due to an inner ear infection around 1990. Just rolling over while underwater was enough to set it off, so when I broke my ankle at work in 1998 I never returned to diving.
LikeLike
What a tale, Ken. As i was reading, I wondered if it was something you had experienced. It was an exciting and scary tale, but I’m glad it everyone survived! Though–It’s too bad he spoiled your dive.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Merril.
Those charter trips in the 90s were always a fun time with a good group of friends. It became something to talk about on later trips. But even if the best dive of the trip was tanked, I still look at it as an experience in which I was able to apply some of my training.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a positive attitude!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My goodness! That was close. Good write.
Pat
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Pat. 🙂
LikeLike
Awful, I got stuck going through a rock channel for just a few moments snorkelling and that was enough, it would be so dangerous and I like how you mix a sense of quizzical with the severity of life in the balance.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Given the right (or wrong) circumstances, it doesn’t take much for panic to set in. At the time, I think it was easier to talk about if we treated it lightly – fully aware of how bad it could have been.
I was pretty conservative on air consumption while diving, but as rapidly as he was burning air I was prepared to hand him off to my dive partner if mine got too low as we ascended.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I’m wondering how deep you were too with compression issues. I like your calm sense.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Paul.
The wreck lies the same as in the sketch. The marker buoy is attached at the keel, at about 45 feet. The rail is at about 75 feet. My partner had headed below the rail to the main cabin. I “glued” the other diver’s hand to the rail, kicked of lower to get my partner, so at that point we may have been at 75 – 80 feet down. The cabin lies against the bottom, which is 105 – 110 feet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, deep enough to be in trouble, I love your generous nature and concern for mates, but I’m sure you’ll tell me that they would do the same, but I’d want you on my team.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Paul.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very tense and intense. I’m glad that oxygen-deprived diver wasn’t you! (K)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Kerfe. Yeah, fortunately it’s a story to tell my grandchildren.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hah– I can’t even put my face in water. I was in my twenties before I bathed in a shower (always the tub) because I hate water on my face so much! I can’t even imagine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 I only started diving on a whim – when a co-worker wanted someone to take the classes with. I have no problem treading water, but I never perfected any swimming stroke but the breast stroke. Fortunately I completed the swimming requirement and went on to enjoy diving for many years.
LikeLike
It sounds like he had faked his CV a bit, I have never dived but I realize how much you depend on every member of the team
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, I think he must have fast talked his way through the dive shop to be considered for rental gear and a charter. He was way too long out of practice.
LikeLike
Incredible tale. One could see that you “knew” about diving–other that or you do good research (as I do). I had a friend in high school who learned to scuba dive. When he was 20, he stupidly did a solo deep dive in Puget Sound, got in trouble, and drowned. The last ten years, as my hearing has diminished, I’ve developed terrible vertigo, just freezes me up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Glenn. The research came with the training and experience. It was one of those scenarios we practiced, but hoped never to need to use.
LikeLike
Wow, what a story. You told it really well. I imagine you’ll hesitate to invite strangers along on your dives in the future after that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. It definitely was a lesson
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent Ken, so well written! Kept me gripped…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Rob.
LikeLike
Pingback: Beyond His Depth ~ haibun | rivrvlogr