潜水历险记

Isabel+Crabtree+姜琳琳

The wind whips1） my hair as the truck flies down the narrow path. I catch my reflection in a snorkel2） mask， cheeks flushed and eyes alight3） with excitement. I'm sitting with my parents， sister and grandma in the back of a dirty white truck as we head to our snorkeling destination off the coast of Hawaii. I'm not even worried by the lack of seat belts （and seats） in the unsteady truck， because our guide， up in the taxi， has assured us we are about to have an unforgettable experience. What we don't know yet is just how unforgettable it's going to be.

The truck stops， and we climb out onto smooth black lava4） rock. The afternoon sun peeks out5） between thick gray curtains of sky. The only thing that's strange is the frightening silence， as if the forest music of birdsong and whispering leaves which is everywhere has been muted6）.

Our guide， Barry， is tall with legs covered in old scars. He agilely navigates7） the slippery rock and leads us down to the ocean. There is no sand beach here， only slippery volcanic stone sliding abruptly into the waves. We can't be getting in now. We're too high up. Nevertheless， Barry instructs us to put on our fins8） and masks and jump in.

"Just ... jump？" My sister sounds doubtful.

Barry gets a look on his face like he's about to deliver a speech for the thousandth time.

"It's totally safe. The water's great. Hop in！" He smiles encouragingly. We decide that since we came all the way here， we'd better just trust the guy.

One by one， we jump into the sea and discover the water is fantastic. Barry gets in last and promptly starts swimming， his snorkel sticking out from the water.

Soon Barry signals to us to come up， holding a strange creature in his hands. I gasp9） at the round， spiny10） animal and realize it's a pufferfish11）. Barry passes it around with the assurance that it's totally harmless. My father is last. Suddenly he yells and drops the fish.

"He bit me！" he exclaims， staring at the distinct bite mark in his palm. So much for12） harmless.

Once we stop laughing， we continue snorkeling. After a while Barry leads us into a small bay within the cliffs. He swims up to a crack in the rock and goes in as we nervously judge this dark narrow entrance. I try to be brave. It's just a cave—completely safe.

I take a breath and enter， surfacing in a space the size of an elevator. Once everyone has come inside， we are crammed13）together， standing in water higher than our waists. I'm thinking it's actually pretty cool when the surprise comes.

I hear a faint roar and feel like rope sliding against my legs. Barry draws an alarmed breath. Seawater is receding swiftly out the cave's entrance with a force powerful enough to knock us down. The rough opening looks tiny， and we're all being dragged toward it. I realize my legs are slipping. My sister cries out.

I scream but don't get to finish as I'm pulled with great force underwater. I roll over and over in a chaotic， churning14）surge15）. Seconds later， I'm put down a full 10 feet from the entrance， losing my sense of direction. It all happened so fast. I do a head count16） and see that we're all OK. But something in the atmosphere has changed. Dramatically.

It's getting colder， and the wind has picked up. Waves are hitting the rocks forcefully. In just a few minutes， the five of us have gone from excited and safe to frightened and stranded17）.

"We need to get out now，" Barry says. His voice barely conceals a note of alarm. We are far from our starting place， and the sea is already dangerous. Time is very important. Barry guides us toward the shore with quick strokes18）.

We reach a wall of rock that leads to land. Slippery algae19） near water level make footholds nonexistent， while the rock above looks rough and painful to clutch. Slippery large rocks stick out from the water nearby； a fall would be very dangerous. I hold my breath as Barry jumps upward， clutching the rock and climbing onto land. He turns to help us.

The rest of the group doesn't have Barry's strength or skill. I wonder if we will be trapped here. I swallow gulps20） of salt air and try not to panic.

Each of us struggles our way up the wall. Barry pulls us out of the water， where we lie sprawled21） on the rocks， recovering from our terrible experience. Finally， my family sits in a circle above the sea. We're all here， and we're all OK.

I'm completely wet， cold and exhausted， sitting on the edge of a cliff in the middle of the ocean. But I start laughing， now， because I'm not going to die and I have a tale22） to rival any fisherman's.

卡车飞驰在狭窄的小路上，风吹打着我的头发。我在一个潜水面罩上看到了自己的映像：双颊绯红，兴奋得眉开眼笑。我和爸爸妈妈、妹妹、奶奶一起坐在一辆脏兮兮的白色卡车后斗，正前往我们的潜水目的地——夏威夷近岸的海域。这辆摇摇晃晃的卡车里面没有安全带（也没有座位），我甚至都没有为此担心，因为坐在前面出租车里的导游早已向我们保证我们即将有一次难忘的经历。只是我们还不知道这次经历将会多么令人难忘。

卡车停了下来，我们从后斗爬出来，站在了光滑的黑色火山岩上。午后的太阳从厚厚的灰色云幕间探出头来。唯一奇怪的是那令人感到害怕的寂静，就好像随处可以听到的、由鸟儿的歌声与树叶的沙沙作响声所组成的森林乐曲被消音了。

我们的导游巴里个子挺高，双腿到处都是旧伤疤。他灵活地绕过那块湿滑的岩石，领着我们下到了海边。这里没有沙滩，只有突兀地直插在海浪中的湿滑火山石。我们现在可不能跳进去，我们所在的位置太高了。但是，巴里却指示我们穿上自己的脚蹼，带上面罩，然后跳入海中。

“就这么……跳下去？”我妹妹的声音听起来存有疑虑。

巴里的脸上露出了一种神情，好像他即将第1000次发表一场演说似的。

“这里绝对安全，水可好了，跳进去吧！”他一脸鼓励地微笑着。既然我们大老远来这儿了，我们决定最好还是相信这个家伙。

我们一个接一个地跳进了海里，发现这里的海水真是棒极了。巴里最后一个跳入海中，立即开始游了起来，他的呼吸管一直露在水面上。

很快巴里就示意我们凑上前去，他双手捧着一个奇怪的生物。看见这个圆乎乎、满身是刺的动物，我惊讶地倒抽了一口气，随即意识到这是一条河豚。巴里把它递给我们传看，并向我们保证它绝对无害，爸爸是最后一个看的。突然，他大喊一声把它扔掉了。

“它咬我！”他叫出声来，盯着自己手掌上那明显的咬痕。说好的无害呢？

我们笑够了，就继续浮潜。过了一会儿，巴里领着我们游进了一个被悬崖峭壁环绕的小湾。他向前游到岩石间的一道裂缝处，然后游了进去，此时我们还在紧张不安地打量着这个黑乎乎的狭窄入口。我努力变得勇敢些。这不过是个洞穴——绝对安全。

我吸了一口气，然后游了进去，在一个只有电梯大小的空间里浮出水面。等每个人都游进来之后，我们就挤在了一起，站在略高于腰的海水中。我正想着这还真是挺酷的，这时令人意想不到的事情发生了。

我听到一声隐隐的海浪咆哮声，然后感觉像有绳子缠上我的双腿。巴里惊恐地倒吸一口气。海水以一股强大的力量迅速退出洞穴入口，力量之大足以将我们带倒。那个参差不齐的缺口看起来很小，此时我们全都被海水裹挟着拖向它。我意识到自己的双腿在打滑。妹妹大叫了起来。

我发出一声尖叫，但没能把这声叫完，因为我被一股巨大的力量拖进了水下。我在一片无序的、猛烈翻腾的波涛中不停地翻滚。几秒种后，我被冲到了离小湾入口处足足十英尺（编注：约三米）远的地方，失去了方向感。这一切发生得太快了。我清点了一下人数，发现我们都平安无恙。但这时空气中有些东西发生了变化。巨大的变化。

天变得越来越冷，风也大了起来。海浪猛烈地击打着岩石。就在几分钟的时间里，我们五个人从兴奋、平安无事变为害怕、孤立无援。

“我们现在需要离开这里。”巴里说。他声音中的惊恐语气几乎无法隐藏。我们现在离出发的地点很远，而大海已经危机四伏了。时间非常重要。巴里带领我们朝岸边游去，我们快速划动着双臂。

我们游到像墙似的一块岩石那里，它通往陆地。但水位附近的岩石表面长满了湿滑的海藻，让我们无从下脚，而上面的岩石看上去高低不平，攀爬会很费劲。还有许多湿滑的大块岩石从旁边的水面伸出来，如果摔下去会非常危险。我屏住呼吸，看着巴里向上一跃，紧紧抓着岩石爬上了岸。他转过身来帮助我们。

我们这群人中剩下的都没有巴里的力量或技巧。我怀疑我们会不会被困在这里。我大口大口地咽下有海水咸味的空气，尽量让自己不要惊慌失措。

我们每个人都艰难地爬上那面墙。巴里把我们从水中都拉了出来，我们四仰八叉地躺在露出水面的岩石上，从我们那可怕的经历中慢慢恢复过来。最后，我们一家人在大海上方围成一圈坐了下来。我们都在这儿，我们都好好的。

我坐在大海中央一座悬崖的边儿上，全身都湿透了，浑身冰冷，筋疲力尽。但此时此刻，我突然开始放声大笑，因为我不会死了，而且我还拥有了一个足以和任何渔夫的故事相媲美的冒险经历。