American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 369 Exploring the Shipwreck
In the paradise-like bay of Rose Island, the North Star floats quietly on the turquoise water.

A thrilling "treasure hunt" and diving training session had just ended, and the aroma of lunch began to waft out of the cabin.

Mike had prepared sandwiches at the teak dining table on the deck.

"A toast to our treasure hunters!" Mike raised his ice-cold beer, first saluting Lin Yu-an and Raven, "And a toast to our target this afternoon, the 'Mahoney'!"

"cheers!"

The clinking of three beer bottles heralded the start of the upcoming shipwreck adventure.

The atmosphere at lunch was relaxed and pleasant.

Raven took out her waterproof tablet, pulled up several underwater photos of the "Mahoney," and began giving Lin Yu-an her afternoon tour guide briefing.

“Look here,” she said, pointing to a wide-angle photograph showing the silhouette of a ship lying quietly on the sand, completely covered by coral and sponges.

"This is the 'Mahoney,' which, according to official records, was a small Bahamian-flagged cargo ship from World War II that sank in a major hurricane in 1942."

"Today, it has become a very popular artificial reef and diving spot."

“Its hull structure is relatively well preserved,” Raven said, zooming in on a detail of the photo, her face filled with excited longing.

"The bow area is now home to huge tubular sponges and gorgonians, like an underwater garden."

"The former warehouses are now completely open, and they are usually inhabited by groups of silver tarpon. When the sunlight shines in, their scales reflect thousands of rays of light, which is very spectacular."

She then pulled up another photo, which showed a huge, ferocious-looking creature with half its body protruding from a dark cave.

"And this big guy lives near the wheelhouse; he's the guardian of this shipwreck. A huge green moray eel; we all call him 'George'."

"Don't get too close, and don't shine a flashlight into its eyes; it has a bad temper."

Listening to Raven's detailed and knowledgeable introduction, Lin Yu'an felt as if he had already taken a tour of that mysterious underwater world through her description.

“However,” Raven’s expression turned serious as she looked at Lin Yu’an and reiterated the safety rules.

"This is your first real wreck dive, and it's also your OW (Open Water Diver) graduation exam. So, we must strictly follow the rules."

"Absolutely, absolutely no one is allowed to enter any enclosed space inside the ship! We will only tour the exterior like visiting a museum. Understand?"

"Understood, Coach." Lin Yu'an nodded solemnly.

"Ha, Lin, don't just listen to her." Captain Mike, taking a bite of his sandwich, said half-jokingly, "Keep your eyes open when you get in the water. This area was the route taken by Spanish treasure ships hundreds of years ago."

"Although the Mahoney is a new ship, who knows if it will sink right on some ancient treasure that is hundreds of years old? Such things have happened quite often at sea."

"Dad! Don't corrupt my students!" Raven said, feigning anger.

“I call this adding to the fun of exploration!” Mike laughed dismissively.

After lunch break, the Polaris weighed anchor and headed toward the shipwreck site a few nautical miles away.

During the voyage, Lin Yu'an began preparing the underwater live streaming equipment for the afternoon. He opened an orange professional waterproof case and took out the sophisticated underwater live streaming system.

"Alright, everyone, good afternoon." He first started a live stream on his phone, pointing the camera at himself and Raven behind him.

"We are heading to our final destination today—the WWII shipwreck of the 'Mahoney'."

"To allow everyone to experience the wonders of the underwater world firsthand, I will attempt a live underwater broadcast."

He took the latest DJI Action 4 camera out of the box.

“First, these are our eyes,” he said, showing them to the camera.

As he spoke, he picked up a thick, transparent case with a huge lens cover and metal buttons—DJI's official 60-meter waterproof case.

"The Action 4 is waterproof to 18 meters without a case, which is theoretically enough for our 15-meter dive today."

He clicked the camera into the waterproof case and fastened the latch.

"However, in real open water diving, especially in complex environments like shipwrecks, we can never rely solely on theoretical sufficiency."

"The waterproof casing is the second line of defense, ensuring that the equipment and our precious materials are completely safe in the event of any accidental bumps or seal defects."

He mounted the camera's waterproof case on a professional rabbit cage bracket equipped with two high-powered fill lights.

"Underwater lighting is insufficient and colors are distorted. These supplemental lights are needed to restore the true colors of shipwrecks and marine life. And all of these accessories must be installed on a waterproof shell."

He even took a square, orange-red lens from a small box and placed it in front of the lens of the waterproof case.

"This is the Magenta Filter," Raven explained to the audience, having watched the video so intently.

"Because the Caribbean Sea has a greenish tint, using a magenta filter can effectively correct the color temperature, making the image look more natural instead of a pale green. Lin, you've really prepared everything."

“Professional work requires professional tools,” Lin Yu’an smiled at her.

[I've learned something new! Waterproofing without a case is like a beginner's trial card; adding a dog cage is like being a whale (someone who spends a lot of money on in-game purchases)!]

[Did Anzi get a call from Guangzi? The most hardcore unboxing video of DJI Action!]

[I can already picture the streamer saying underwater, "Family, look, this sea turtle is in excellent condition!"]

[Hey upstairs, stop talking, you're already pictured it! Hahahaha!]

"Okay, now that we've solved the safety and function issues of the eyes, the biggest challenge is the signal."

He picked up the 30-meter-long, soft, yellow fiber optic cable.

"While ordinary action cameras are waterproof, their Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless signals cannot penetrate even two meters underwater."

"Therefore, we must use the most basic and reliable method—wired connection."

He screwed the waterproof connector at one end of the cable onto the DJI camera's waterproof housing with a "click".

"Through this messenger, the video signal can be transmitted to the water surface without loss."

Finally, he took out the disc-shaped, red water surface signal buoy with an antenna.

“This is our ‘translator’ and ‘transmission tower’.” He connected the other end of the cable.

"Its function is to convert the wired signal from underwater into a Wi-Fi signal and then transmit it to the live streaming mobile phone on the ship."

"At the same time, its built-in battery provides a continuous power source for the underwater camera."

[Time: 2:40 PM]

When the GPS indicated that they were about to reach their target location, Lin Yu'an gently lowered the signal buoy into the water, and the cable, like soft seaweed, slowly sank to the bottom.

The indicator light on the buoy changed from flashing red to a steady green. He turned on the live streaming phone on the boat, connected to the Wi-Fi network named "Underwater_Live," and the live feed from the DJI camera instantly appeared on the phone screen.

It was a deep blue world, swaying with the movement of the ships and penetrated by sunlight.

[Holy crap! The connection is successful! The picture quality is amazing!]

[This gear is amazing! The streamer is so professional! I can't wait to see it!]

“Okay,” Lin Yu’an fixed the phone to a stand on the dashboard for easy microphone observation.

"Captain Mike, the live stream is now in your hands. After we go into the water, Coach Raven and I will be unable to speak or see the comments. Please enjoy the show quietly."

Raven and Lin Yu-an donned their full scuba gear once again, filled with anticipation for the upcoming exploration.

Mike took on the roles of surface support and safety lookout.

He maneuvered the boat, drifting slowly upwind of the shipwreck site, ensuring he could reach them as soon as they rose.

"Alright, explorers, I've received the live stream. It's as clear as watching a BBC documentary."

"Have fun down there. Remember to keep an eye on your decompression time and cylinder pressure. I'll be waiting for your good news up here."

"receive."

Lin Yu-an and Rui-wen sat at the stern of the boat and did a final buddy check on each other.

Then, accompanied by two almost simultaneous "plop" sounds, they once again entered that tranquil blue world.

At that moment, the live stream screen switched instantly from the sunlit deck to a bizarre, turquoise world filled with countless bubbles.

[It's here! The underwater live stream has started! This first-person perspective is absolutely stunning!]

[Wow, that moment of entering the water felt like I jumped in too! With headphones on, the immersion was incredible!]

This dive was completely different from the one in the shallows that morning.

They began to slowly descend along a guide rope lowered from the boat and gently swaying in the water.

The sunlight, like crushed diamonds, pierced through the water's surface, forming countless shimmering, leaping, and ever-changing golden beams around them.

Every silver bubble they exhaled was illuminated and made to sparkle. As the depth increased, the surrounding colors began to change in a wondrous way.

At a depth of five meters, the bright red color disappeared from sight first, and the red logo on Raven's wetsuit turned into a strange brownish-red.

At ten meters, the warm yellow and orange tones faded, and the entire world was gradually dominated by a mysterious, deep blue.

The viewers in the live stream seemed to have entered an alien planet along with the camera.

[The colors are really changing! It's amazing! Is this the legendary 'underwater filter'?]

It's so quiet... I can only hear breathing and the sound of flowing water. It feels like the whole world has slowed down; it's so soothing.

I have a slight fear of thalassemia, but following the streamer's camera, I don't seem so scared anymore.

At a depth of about twelve meters, Raven stopped and pointed to the deeper, darker blue below.

Lin Yu'an looked in the direction she pointed, and her heart skipped a beat.

A colossal, indescribable black silhouette, like the shadow of a prehistoric behemoth lurking beneath, is slowly emerging from the deep blue waters below!

It was so big that you couldn't see the whole thing at first glance; you could only see the high, upturned bow that looked like a cliff.

This is the Mahoney, where time seems to have frozen for eighty years.

Like two tiny satellites on their first exploration of an unknown planet, the two began to slowly approach each other side by side.

When they finally hovered above the sunken ship, Lin Yu'an was completely shocked by the sight before him.

This cargo ship, about thirty meters long, has now been completely transformed into a part of marine life, a thriving underwater city.

The hull is covered with all kinds of hard corals, purple sea fans that sway like lace, and brightly colored tubular sponges.

It is colorful, like a gorgeous coat woven by nature and adorned with gemstones.

Thousands upon thousands of sea bream and golden-eyed sea bream formed a huge storm of fish, flowing slowly around the hull, their scales reflecting a flowing galaxy in the beam of a flashlight.

Like an experienced guide, Raven gestured for him to follow her and led Lin Yu-an on their "underwater museum tour".

She first pointed to a group of large creatures hovering like ghosts above the bow of the boat—more than twenty large barracudas, each nearly a meter long.

Their silver, sword-like bodies shimmered in the sunlight, hovering almost motionless in the water, forming a disciplined guard, scrutinizing the two intruders.

Holy crap! What kind of fish is that? It looks so fierce!

[Barracuda! Its teeth are very sharp, don't get too close, streamer!]

Is this tasty? It doesn't look very appetizing.

Immediately afterwards, she led Lin Yu'an to the top of the huge warehouse that was now completely open.

When they shone their diving flashlights into the darkness, the viewers in the live stream gasped in amazement!
In the darkness, countless pairs of eyes, like silver coins, immediately reflected light! It was a large group of giant tarpon, each over a meter long.

They were like a group of ancient beasts imprisoned, slowly swimming in this steel cage, their huge silver scales appearing like flowing liquid metal under the sweeping beams of light.

Lin Yu'an's performance was impeccable. He precisely controlled the neutral buoyancy and slowly approached the interesting marine creatures to observe them.

His camera was as steady as a professional underwater photographer's, perfectly presenting this stunning scene to all viewers.

Raven then led him to the stern. There, the rudder was completely covered by thick coral.

In a dark, broken hole beneath the servo, Raven gently shone the beam of her flashlight.

A huge and ferocious head slowly emerged from the cave!
It was a giant green moray eel, definitely over two meters long and with a waist thicker than an adult's thigh; it was none other than George, the "guardian" of the sunken ship.

It seemed to have gotten used to the divers' visits, and simply opened its large mouth, which was covered with two rows of sharp, barbed teeth, with a lazy air.

Several tiny cleaning shrimp were allowed to move in and out of its mouth, nostrils, and even around its eyes, cleaning it. The scene was both terrifying and strangely harmonious.

[My God! This moray eel is huge! It's giving me goosebumps!]

[This is absolutely stunning! This is the real underwater world! A million times more spectacular than any aquarium!]

[Anzi's neutral buoyancy is amazing! She's like a ghost, completely still! Is this really her first day learning to scuba dive?!]

Just as they were quietly observing "George", Lin Yu'an's peripheral vision was suddenly drawn to an incongruous scene next to him!

(End of this chapter)