The Shark Whisperer (32 page)

At the Poseidon Theater, Tristan led his parents to where Hugh and Sam were sitting with their mothers. Sam's mother was chatting happily. She was an older, taller version of her daughter with an outdoorsy, girl-next-door look and the same twinkly gray-blue eyes. Hugh's mom still seemed to be in a daze.

Tristan said hello and introduced them to his parents. He turned to Sam. “Where's your dad?”

“He refused to come,” Sam said sadly. “But mom is really happy about everything and says he'll come around eventually. Especially when he sees that after being at camp I don't think he's bad or hate him, you know because he's a fisherman and all.”

“How'd your parents take the news?” Hugh asked Tristan.

“Okay, I guess. We had a good time in the park. I think they're still sort of in shock.”

“No joke,” Hugh said. “My mom nearly fainted—just about keeled over into the director's lap.”

A loud drumroll announced that the show was beginning. Coach Fred appeared on the stage in his sparkly sequin and camouflage outfit to welcome the parents to Sea Camp. The senior campers put on a show that was an extended version of the Seasquirts' first night event. Campers showed off their swimming, jumping, diving, and camouflage skills. Later, Director Davis, Ms. Sanchez, and Doc Jordan joined Coach Fred on stage to thank and say goodbye to the oldest campers who would not be returning next year. They also introduced and thanked all the new campers, acknowledging their skills and how well they'd done over the summer. Each of the Seasquirts received a dark blue T-shirt with the shark and wave logo on the front. On the back it said “SNAPPER.” As Director Davis was encouraging them to come back the next summer, a blue light began flashing in the theater and there was a low rhythmic hum.

Director Davis looked to Coach Fred and then back at the audience. “Something's come up. Gotta run. Thank you all, call anytime, and goodnight.”

After the show, the parents all shook hands with the remaining camp leaders. They then left to go to dinner and to their hotels for the night. The campers would spend the night at the park, eating at the Conch Café, and sleeping in the bungalows for the last time that summer.

The ex-Seasquirts, now Snappers, ate dinner together reminiscing about the summer and recounting
their adventures in the Bahamas. Afterward, Tristan, Sam, and Hugh walked to the lagoon and sat on the dock.

“We can text and e-mail over the school year,” Hugh suggested.

“Yeah, okay,” Tristan said. “Though I kinda wish I could just stay here.”

“Did your parents say you could come back?” Sam asked worriedly. “My mom says she has to talk to my dad first.”

“Not exactly. But I think they will,” Tristan told her. “Okay, let's make a pact. Our mission is to get all of our parents to let us come back next summer. Deal?”

“Deal!” Sam said.

“Deal,” Hugh said.

When it got late and they were all sleepy, the three teens headed to the Seasquirts bungalow. Tristan walked slightly behind his two new friends. He couldn't believe that just two months ago, Hugh and Sam were strangers. It seemed like they'd been his best friends for years. Except he'd never really had any best friends like them before. Everything seemed different somehow. Sure now he had webbed hands and feet when he got in the ocean and could talk to sharks and rays. That was
way
cool. But it was more than that. When he stumbled now, he didn't feel as embarrassed or ashamed. He had come to accept that on land he was a klutz—no way around it. But in the ocean, he was totally different. Now when his sister or the kids at school teased him, it wouldn't matter. Maybe he
wasn't good at sports like the jocks or able to ace every test like the brainy kids, but he'd found something he was good at. He was just different from the other kids at home. His dad even seemed kind of proud of him. Tristan then realized something. He felt good about himself and was proud of what he done that summer. Maybe that was the most important thing of all.

He ran to catch up with Sam and Hugh. When he reached them, Tristan pretended to stumble, but instead of tumbling to the ground he twisted around and said, “Just kidding.”

The Situation Room was dark except for one screen showing the area around Lee Stocking Island. There were several solid red dots on the map. One was located over a spot in the Tongue of the Ocean where the depth was about 700 feet. There were also several blinking blue dots in The Quicksands area.

“Got your signal. What's up Flash?” Director Davis asked, out of breath from running in.

“A few things director and they're not good—well, mostly not good.”

“I'm listening.”

“Reports are that Rickerton has located his sunken yacht and has become suspicious about the activity in The Quicksands.”

“And the good news?”

“Mr. M called. He thinks they've found the
Santa Viento
.”

“That's fantastic news.”

“Yes, sir. But I'm afraid I didn't finish with the bad news.”

Just then another one of the flat screens on the desk in front of Flash came on. A string of computer code scrolled down the screen, then it went blank and a repeating animation crawled across. It was a cartoon shark opening and closing its teeth-filled mouth while chasing a little running man. Below it was a flashing text box with the message “Intruder Detected.”

“What's going on?” Director Davis asked.

“That's what I was trying to tell you. Someone is trying to hack into our system, sir.”

“What? Did they get in?”

“No sir, they'd have to be a lot smarter and a lot faster to get through me. But sir, I've traced it. Looks like it's coming from a casino in Las Vegas.”

“A casino in Las Vegas?”

Flash tapped on a keyboard and a photo of the front of a casino came up on the screen. It was disgustingly ornate and elaborately decorated like a pirate's hideaway. Over the front entrance was a sign that read “THE BUCCANEER” and below that a huge red letter in fancy script. It was a giant “R.”

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

A
LL OF THE CHARACTERS PORTRAYED IN THIS
book are fictional. The story is completely made up as well. Some of the other elements of this fantastical tale are, however, based on my own experiences and real science.

Over the years, as a marine scientist I have had many wonderful ocean adventures and have spent lots of time in, on, and under the sea. If only I'd had some of the special ocean talents of the Sea Camp teens! That portion of the book is pure fantasy. But other parts are not. For example, a marine laboratory did, at one time, exist on Lee Stocking Island in the Bahamas. I know it and the area well because for a short time I was the director. I lived on the island and went out regularly on small boats to explore the local ocean
wonders. My friends joked that I was the dictator of the island since there was nothing else there—but I was a kind dictator, I swear. We went snorkeling at Rainbow Garden Reef, climbed through amazing caves on nearby islands, and swam over rolling underwater waves of ooids. Ooids, by the way, are even cooler than described. Jumping knee-deep into sand made of these shiny white beads of calcium carbonate is an experience that one long remembers (they aren't really like quicksand). The Bahamas are also one of the few places in the world today that host stromatolites. Yes, these tall tan undersea pillars really do exist, though I exaggerated their height just a teensy bit. For many years scientists thought that stromatolites grew by accumulating alternating layers of algae and stuck-on sand. Researchers recently discovered however, that algae are not the builders of stromatolites, but rather microbes called cyanobacteria. Swimming or scuba diving among stromatolites seems very much like passing through the undersea ruins of an ancient stone temple.

The sea creatures described in the book are also very real as are some of their astonishing capabilities. Hagfish can produce great quantities of slime when threatened or injured. As mentioned, they look like eels, but are only distant relatives. Parrot fish help produce sediment in the tropics by scraping algae for food and their prodigious pooping. They're actually named after their fused teeth, which look a bit like a parrot's beak (more like buckteeth to me). Octopuses
are indeed smart, sharp-eyed, contortionists with the fastest camouflage capabilities on the planet. Sea stars can regenerate an arm if one is lost and scallops do swim by jumping up and crazily clapping their shells. Furthermore, one of the world's longest barrier reefs really is just east of Andros Island in the Bahamas.

Many animals in the ocean can produce light biologically; a phenomenon known as bioluminescence. One night on a dock in the Florida Keys, I witnessed small wriggling lit-up worms spiraling to the surface, where they released a shimmering cloud. Attracted by the light, hungry fish then zoomed in to consume the glowing worms. It was quite a show. Barracuda, surgeonfish, and flying fish are named in the book, but did you also catch the description of the trumpetfish, triggerfish, or trunkfish in the text? While there is no known substance in algae that will help humans get webbed hands and feet (I can dream), scientists are using compounds found in marine plants and animals to develop new drugs to improve human health.

Unfortunately, there are other less pleasant parts of the book that are also true. Throughout the world millions of sharks are killed each year solely for their fins and in some places people blast the seabed in search of shipwrecks or use dynamite or bleach for fishing. These practices harm marine life and the ocean. We all need to work together if we are to stop such destructive activities and protect our precious ocean for the future.