Before Japan Island discharged nuclear wastewater, it was a world-famous place for surfing and diving events.
The waters around Japan Island were once clean and clear, and tourists who came here in summer mostly chose to take a speedboat ride or dive.
The Kerama Islands were a diving paradise full of tropical atmosphere.
Located south of Okinawa, at Japan Island’s southernmost tip, the Kerama Islands consist of 30 variously sized islands, including Zamami Island, Ah Jia Island, Wakajima Island, and more.
The Kerama Islands are uninhabited due to the lack of human disturbance, the seawater transparency is extremely high, and the flora and fauna ecosystems are incredibly rich.
It can be said to be a world-renowned diving spot, where diving around the island can let you see vibrant coral reefs, and even schools of fish and turtles swimming with you.
However, after news spread of the nuclear wastewater discharge from Japan Island, the local diving industry was not as booming as before.
After all, everyone values their life and doesn’t want to risk getting contaminated by nuclear radiation.
As a foreign enterprise, Ford Diving Company seemed to have caught the wind early and set up facilities by building an indoor deep diving pool for tourists in Okinawa.
Apart from the shallow and deep areas, this pool has a cylindrical deep diving passage that reaches a depth of 200 meters.
Deep diving enthusiasts can equip themselves with diving gear and enjoy a carefree dive here.
Jenny and Smith, a couple from the United States, are experienced divers with ten years of rich deep diving experience.
They both obtained an A-level certificate from the Professional Diving Association, and diving in Japan Island each year was their favorite thing to do.
Diving can make one feel that the world is so fascinating, free from worldly troubles, and even make them feel they are no longer human but have become a fish.
Gurgle gurgle gurgle!
Bubbles were released from their exhaust pipes, as Jenny and Smith exchanged glances and set off again from the 30-meter rest area, swimming further down the passage.
Diving is an extremely dangerous and physically challenging sport for divers. Fresh chapters posted on novel★fire.net
Underwater, every 10 meters of descent increases body pressure by one atmosphere, and when dive depth exceeds 30 meters, the atmospheric pressure compresses the body and brain of the diver.
At this point, the central nervous system would be greatly affected, and if the diver’s physical fitness is slightly weaker, they might experience rejection reactions like nausea and vomiting.
If the dive depth reaches 45 meters or more, it is considered expert level, and without extensive training in the field, it is very difficult for a person to dive to such depths.
And at a depth of 60 meters, the pressure on the body is seven times that on land, and the oxygen intake level reaches 150%, this pure oxygen intake could cause divers to have seizure-like reactions, leading to unconsciousness and possibly dropping their regulators. Without rescue, the only outcome would be drowning.
And 100 meters is a true test of a diver’s capabilities, without extensive training, diving recklessly to this depth is courting death.
In past decades, unknown numbers of divers have been unfortunate while challenging the 100-meter depth.
Currently, the greatest diving depth achieved by divers worldwide is 400 meters, and up until now, fewer than 20 divers in the world have been able to break the 400-meter barrier and master diving at this depth.
And Jenny and Smith are incredibly skilled divers who successfully challenged the 170-meter depth in Okinawa last year.
After returning to the United States, they underwent a year-long professional training, and today, they have returned to Okinawa to challenge their limits truly and conquer the 200-meter dive depth threshold.
Gurgle gurgle gurgle!!
The deeper they went, the darker the water in the pool became.
Fortunately, the owner of this deep pool installed special spotlights at different depths underwater, capable of withstanding water pressure, one every five meters, so each diver can clearly understand how deep they have dove.
meters, 50 meters, 60 meters, 70 meters, 80 meters...
Every ten meters, they would pause on the resting platforms inside the passage to adjust their states before diving further down.
Soon, they reached their last year’s limit, 170 meters.
Even after a year of training, they were still at ease, exchanging a mutual glance before continuing downwards, towards the uncharted 200-meter depth.
The immense pressure mounted on them, making them feel as though they were being thrown into a forge, hammered relentlessly.
Soon, the resting platform at 180 meters came into view, with the red 180M mark on the wall.
Jenny and Smith exchanged a silent, excited smile; a whole year’s effort was finally paying off today.
Breaking the 180-meter dive standard means their diving certificate could be elevated by another level, a symbol of capability.
Jenny took out an underwater recording board, quickly wrote down a message, and handed it to her husband.
[I think we can further challenge the limit here, 200 meters]
Smith hesitated slightly, took out his recording board, and replied.
[It’s too risky, Jenny. 200 meters will mean even greater pressure. If anything goes wrong, we wouldn’t be able to get rescued at this depth. It’s potentially disastrous.]