“Sure, that sounds like fun,” I genuinely replied.
. . .
The next morning was warm and clear, the searing sun beating down on us in the ninety-degree heat of the day. Dylan and I were standing in the harbor in front of a boat
about twelve to fifteen feet long. The short orientation and signing of forms was over and we were ready to depart for the island.
“All right, is everyone ready?” The dive leader checked the gauges on his complete U-SCUBA suit, the “U” I was told stood for “Ultimate.” “Check all your gauges one more time and make sure you each have a diving buddy. It will be pretty dark inside once we get in there, so make sure each of you has a flashlight attached to your belt.”
I checked all my gauges and that my flashlight was tied to my belt as well. Dylan did the same and we both raised our hands with thumbs up to show that we were ready to go.
“All right, if everyone is ready, let’s get on the boat.”
Dylan and I, along with six other people and the dive leader climbed into the small boat. Seats bordered the edge of the stern with two rows facing each other. Walking to the side opposite the dock, we took an empty seat and buckled ourselves in.
The dive leader checked to make sure everyone was seated with their seatbelts secured and then he climbed into the chair for the driver. “Hold on tight, everyone.”
Within the span of a minute, the boat revved up to seventy miles an hour, the wind blasting our faces with such intensity that tears streaked out of my eyes, leaving trails down the sides of my face. Blinking and squinting, I strived to keep my eyes from tearing, but to no avail. Peering down, I checked all of my gear to make sure it was secured on my person in case the high speed caused anything to knock off, but everything was good.
In no time flat, we arrived at the site where Alcatraz Island had once been. Beneath us lay the roof of the main prison building just barely below the surface of the water. The concrete structure and accompanying island loomed underneath us like an apparition. I couldn’t help but feel haunted as I stared down into the water.
“Okay, now, we all need to stick together. We can communicate through the regulator’s communication system in our helmets, but I need you guys to keep the line quiet unless there is an emergency. If everyone talks at once then I won’t be able to understand anyone. Keep your diving buddy close to you and never let him or her out of your sight. Got it?”
Dylan raised his hand. “In orientation, you forgot to mention how the island became fully submerged. Didn’t it used to be much higher than old downtown San Francisco?”
“Ah yes,” the dive leader swatted a fly in front of his face. “There was a project to do some underwater mining near here that went wrong. It caused an undiscovered rift in the ocean to rupture, causing an earthquake that effectively sank the entire island almost two hundred feet into the ocean.” The dive leader’s gaze swept from Dylan to the other members. “Any more questions, or are you ready to dive?”
Shouts of let’s go and yeah surrounded us as people checked their gear and grabbed their oxygen tanks.
“Okay, put your masks on and secure them. I’ll come around and make sure everything is done correctly.”
After all of the tedious checks were in place, we were finally permitted to jump off the boat into the water. Everyone jumped simultaneously, filling the water with a bubble shield so thick that I couldn’t see anything around me. Flailing out in a panic, I felt pressure on my wrist as someone grabbed me and pulled me away from the boat. Once the bubbles were behind us, I could see that it was Dylan. I nodded in thanks and he replied in kind.
The intercom inside my mask crackled on. “Can everyone hear me? Put your thumbs to the side if you can. Remember, if you put your thumbs up, it’s the universal sign that you are ready to ascend.”
I took a quick glance at everyone and all thumbs were to the side.
Finally, we were permitted to enter the structure, swimming through a window that had purposely been removed. An eerie calm and silence permeated throughout the room, bouncing off jagged walls matching the outer ones of the building. Via the eight shining flashlights in addition to my own, I could see we had entered the main section. Our dive leader led us down to the very bottom of the three levels of holding cells. From there the dive leader permitted us to take our time in this area and peer into the cells if we wished too. A few of them were lit, surrounded by a protective barrier, in which all the water seemed to be drained completely. Inside, there was a plaque stating that the cell looked exactly like it did when the prisoners were there. The items included a very old-style toilet, a small sink, and what appeared to be a cot. I had once read that the worst sorts of people in our country were housed here, but seeing the bare necessities made me feel a little sorry for them.
A fish swam in front of my view and I was once again reminded of my submerged state. I reached out and touched the bars, feeling the cold, yet brittle material. Clearly, the place was degrading and there was no
