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“Yes, sir,” the man said in a small voice.
Mary started to cry, and Ben reached over to stroke her dark hair. Alex swam over to her.
Ok, you played bad cop. Maybe it’s time for good cop now.
He softened his voice and placed his hands on her shoulders. “It’s ok, Mary. We’re doing fine. This is a serious situation, and I’m trying to prevent it from becoming worse.”
He let go and addressed the group again, confident and in full command. “We will be rescued. I have no doubt of that. But I can’t predict when. If it’s in thirty minutes, you can all join him in calling me an asshole when we get back.” He tipped his head to Turtle Guy and got some laughs.
Good.
“But if it’s longer than that, I plan to do everything in my power to keep us strong and safe until we get picked up. Everyone put your masks down around your necks. You don’t need them on right now, but I want to make sure no one loses theirs.”
Alex took a breath. His heartbeat was calm and steady now that he had the situation under control. “Ok, who has an SMB?” He received nothing but blank looks in return.
Oh, this just gets better and better . . .
“What’s an SMB?” Turtle Guy asked.
Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath before reopening them. “Surface marker buoy. A piece of equipment every diver should have to increase your visibility if you ever become lost. Anyone?”
Nine shaking heads.
“Ok. I have two.” He looked around the group, evaluating them. He pointed to Ben and another man. Definitely not Turtle Guy. “I’m going to inflate these and give them to you two to attach to your BCDs. I need to keep my hands free and be able to move while we’re waiting.”
He unclipped his primary SMB, detached it from his reel, and inflated it with his regulator. As the air entered, the long red cylinder unfurled to its full six-foot length and rose straight into the air. Alex attached it to Ben’s BCD. He repeated this with his backup SMB, attaching it to the other diver he’d picked. The two SMBs rose high above the group. “That will make us more visible to the rescue ship.”
Alex moved back to the middle of the circle, again evaluating the group. “All right! Since we’re going to be together for a while, let’s do some introductions and get to know each other better. I’ll start.”
He raised his voice. “My name is Alex Monroe. I got certified to dive twenty-five years ago, and I served for eighteen years in the United States Navy, a lot of it on or under the water. I’ve been a recreational scuba instructor for eight years. I have logged tens of thousands of dives. I’m highly qualified to get you all through this, ok?” He paused, inspecting everyone.
Their expressions were now calmer, and their eyes not as enlarged. “Also, I love classic rock and my favorite color is blue.” He waited with a smile for the laughter to die down, then said, “Ok, Mary, you go next.”
As she started, Alex again swam to the outside and circled the group to make sure everything was ok there. He checked his dive watch, having started the stopwatch as soon as he surfaced with the group.
Forty-five minutes . . .
He checked the horizon. Nothing yet. At least it’s a calm day.
The ocean around them was deep blue. They were well away from shore now. Rolling two-foot swells lifted the group, then set them down in regular waves.
After everyone introduced themselves, he had them go around again and say where they were from and their jobs. Alex listened closely when it came to Tommy’s turn.
“I was born on St. Croix. I’ve been the boat driver here at Half Moon Bay for seven years. It’s been my dream job. I also do most of the repairs on the resort.” He took a deep breath as he repeatedly ran his hand over his head. “I don’t know what happened to the boat. I take care of her like she was my own, and I loved that boat. I can’t believe this is happenin’.”
Alex looked sharply at him. “Nobody’s blaming you, Tommy. I don’t know what happened today, but the one thing I’m sure of is that it’s not your fault.”
Mary spoke up. “Tommy, I read about dive boats sinking pretty much every month in scuba magazines. It happens sometimes.” She gave a shaky laugh. “Just never thought it would happen to me.”
She went on to explain she and Ben were from Atlanta, and she owned a cupcake shop. That was interesting enough to keep the conversation going for a long time—lots of flavors to discuss. Alex had no idea green-tea bacon cupcakes were a thing.
After that, the group moved on to their favorite dive destination and what they loved about it. “And it better be St. Croix,” Alex said, and couldn’t help laughing at his terrible joke. He looked up and noted the full moon muted against the blue sky.
Well, that explains the strong current.
He checked his watch again. Nearing two hours . . .
Alex was like a restless shark in constant motion—inside the circle, then outside the circle, checking on everyone individually to make sure they were doing ok. Tightening BCD straps to make sure every diver’s flotation was secure. He breathed hard from fighting the current as he swam around the perimeter of the circle, keeping everyone talking.
