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National Geographic : 1964 Jan
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from the boat. Not so at night. At first we tried marking it with a buoy, but the buoy was almost as hard to spot as the ledge. Tak ing bearings on shore lights helped us find the buoy, but this was time-consuming. Ulti mately we found it easiest to anchor before sundown and wait for dark. Underwater camera cases are expensive, so we designed and built our own out of clear Plexiglas sheets fused with ethylene dichlo ride. We used neoprene gaskets to seal joints where camera controls protruded. Our apprehensions about the possible dan ger of sharks led us to develop an effective underwater gun, light enough to be carried conveniently and powerful enough to kill a large shark instantly. This weapon is an alu minum pole six feet long, with a sealed barrel mounted at its end. Loaded with a .357 Mag num revolver cartridge and fired by jabbing the muzzle against the target, it kills by con cussion as well as by the effect of the bullet (page 132). We were never attacked by any animal larger than little isopods which, apparently mistaking us for fish, bit viciously. These parasites, about a quarter-inch long, often are seen clinging to fish. They didn't quite draw blood, but their sharp, unexpected nips gave us a few bad starts. None of our real emergencies involved dangerous animals. As in daylight diving, all our troubles resulted from equipment failures or carelessness. Twice we had to search for 136 our skiff, once when a squall set it adrift and another time when the boat beacon went out, but we recovered it both times after some anxious moments. The night the beacon failed, only Walter and I were diving. Rather than search in the dark, we headed for Alligator Reef Light to phone Walter's father, who operates a charter fishing business on Lower Matecumbe. After an eerie swim in breaking seas, we reached the lighthouse and knocked on the door. "May we use your phone?" The look of astonishment that came over the lightkeeper's face made the long swim worthwhile. Night Sea Glows With Life We found a surprising amount of light in the ocean at night. It came from a combina tion of sources, including the moon, stars, and luminescent organisms beneath the sea. Even without our lights there was much to see in the ocean. Once our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we were rewarded with a daz zling display of luminescent life. Thereafter, we often doused our lights to watch fish and divers swim in cascades of green sparks, and to see corkscrews of fire left by swimming worms and jellyfish. These luminescent organisms are the most beautiful phenomena on the reefs. On moon lit nights there is enough light to dive without head lamps, and the luminescence of many creatures becomes apparent. Any disturbance
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