The Underwater City Hikayeyi takip edin

Ever since i can remember, i’ve always been fascinated by lost treasures from sunken ships, boats and whatnot. Knowing what happened for a ship to have sunk is certainly one of my favorite things to research. I’m always looking up what reason were for them to sink, some of them filled with treasure that are still being found at the bottom of the ocean.

I’m hooked on videos about treasure hunters finding old golden or silver doubloons, but, i am in fact more instered on the stories of those ships, captain and it’s tripulation. That’s how i found out about the galleon San José that left the Portobelo city, Panamá, by the end of may 1708 loaded with gold, silver, emeralds and other jewelry taken from Peru, that was going to Spain, since King Philip V was counting on his colonies’ resources to fund the War of the Spanish Succession.

After the ship left Peru, it’s captain, José Fernández de Santillán decided to quickly stop by the city of Cartagena, Colombia to ready the galleon for the long trip to Havana, Cuba before arriving at Spain, but he knew the British, their war enemies, could be waiting for them. Paying no mind to his instincts, or even pressured to continue the voyage, he continued with the plan.

In a peaceful night in June, 8th 1708, a battle happened for the contents of the ship were being sought. The british navy, armed with pistols, swords and knives, tried thrice to board the spanish ship in order to subdue them, but the San José’s crew wouldn’t give up and they almost won the battle. But, few is known about it’s last moments. Either a sail might have gotten lost during the battle, or the majority of the crew could have caused it’s downfall, since it was composed by civils who didn’t awnser to anyone. But for it to sink, was something nobody wanted.

Maybe in their anger against the british, the great pirates of the sea, Santillán might have prefered to set fire to the ship, lighting up powder barrels, and to return to Spain empty handed.

That’s where my fascination comes from. What is hidden underneath the waters next to Colombia? What did the survivors feel once they learned the gold was lost? Intrigued, i bought a metal detector and started using it at the beach, but i ultimately found nothing. My taste for adventure was only getting stronger.

I don’t really know how that advertisement came to me. I only remember scrolling through my Instagram feed. I thought it was a scam ad. but, after researching it through, i came to the conclusion that it was genuine. There was my chance of going on an adventure on the high seas: a cruise, with all expanses paid, would traverse through the entire Pacific, with breaks for activities such as swimming and diving by using a Liveaboard, and getting to meet the wild life, stunning corals, amazing cliffs etc. including a plethora of sunken ships from the World Wars at Micronesia. Sailing through Micronesia means we can explore islands filled with amazing forests and surrounded by various beaches.

It was a no brainer and i booked my trip. I just had to convice my girlfriend Lia, and, perhaps, Juan and Jesus. Money was short, altough, it was more practical to sacrifice a few stops to McDonald’s and save a few colombian pesos for the journey.

At first, my friends didn’t seem that much into the idea. They tried convincing me not to go, telling me the sea was dangerous and evil and that anything could happen there. They showed me statistics and even reminded me of what happened to the Titanic, but i stood my ground, and i was growing even more eager to embark on that adventure, face the danger and see with my own eyes what the fantastic underwater world had to offer.

Lia accepted my offer. She was just as much an adventurer as i was. Young, beautiful and with the whole world out there. When was i gonna get another opportunity like that again? After many days of planning, and persuading my friends, we left Colombia on May 28th, which made me think it was maybe the date in which the galleon was sunken, but three hundred years ago.

We arrived at the shore and were in awe about how big the ship was. The boarding ramp alone was enough to make our jaws drop. We felt like ants when looking at the passangers up there. Lia grabbed my arm, happily smiling, but Juan and Jesus were nervous. I immediately distracted them by joking around.

At the deck everybody looked happy. We were received by the crew standing in a row before the ground floor door. The atrium was wonderful and decorated with thousands of shiny mirrors, long stairwells and glass elevators. It also had twelve bars and lounges, eight main restaurants and stores showcasing clothes and sports stuff. Our rooms were in the fourth floor. We left out baggage there and climbed the stairwells to check out the area with four pools and twelve bathtubs with hydromassage device, that were in the last floor of the MSC Divina.

My friends, previously nervous about the whole situation, were in awe by the greatness of the ship, giving me shoulder taps and thanking me for inviting them. Lia’s smile under the morning sun made me feel that was going to be the best trip of my life. I didn’t suspect everything could change in the span of a second, though.

We were in the pool playing with a beach ball, going down the slide and even running around and diving. Lia prefered staying in the chairs by the pool in her new, beautiful dress she was wearing for the dinner set to celebrate the beginning of that trip.

The day flies by when we are having fun, huh? I had even forgotten we were going on a dive tomorrow morning. To me and my friends, we felt we could stay forever. We were even thinking about working there. The afternoon went by and we headed to our rooms to rest before the dinner. I was waiting Lia get out of the shower, sitting on the bed, on my phone. Then i heard a knocking on the door.

— Hey, Miguel! — Jesus and Juan were looking at me kinda weird.

— Hey, guys. Did something happen? — i asked, looking at Juan’s pale face.

— I don’t know. I’m not feeling so hot. — said Juan standing by Jesus side.

— Did you eat something weird? Is it your stomach?

— No. It has nothing to do with my stomach. I told Jesus. It’s a weird feeling, like something is about to happen. The point is i’m scared. It could be nothing, of course, but i can’t shake it off.

— Maybe you spent too much time under the sun — i said, trying to make them feel better.

— Yeah, that’s probably it — said Jesus, not fully believing that.

— Let’s just enjoy our dinner. It will be wonderful. You’ll see. After a good night’s sleep everything will be better. — i told them with conviction.

— Yeah, maybe you’re right — said Juan, a bit awkwardly — I’ll take a bath and i’ll meet you there.

I said my goodbyes for now, and that weird feeling was starting to affect me as well. I shrugged it off right when Lia come out of the shower drying her hair with a towel.

— The water is great, Miguel.

— I’ll take a shower too. Stay beautiful, ok? — i smiled at her and i went to the bathroom.

I met the boys at the restaurant. The tables were filled with every food imaginable. We sat on the one that had our names on it and we began drinking those fancy drinks with a umbrela, while watching the passangers interacting with one another. We made a few friends. When the captain arrived and stood before the table where his guests were, everything went silent. He wished us a good night and the band started playing.

I think it was about 1 a.m. when we returned to our rooms. I thought i was gonna sleep once i laid on the bed, but that didn’t happen. Lia slept like a baby while i had trouble sleeping. I decided to get out of the bed to look at the stary sky.

And that i did once i got to the pool area. I sat on one of the chairs and looked at the sky. There were indeed a plethora of stars there, but they did not soothe my mind. Juan’s words did not want to leave my mind, and it made me feel uneasy like a felt a few hours ago. What could that be? Something on the sea making me feel like it was watching me? My heart was beating quickly, making me look everywhere to make sure something wasn’t gonna scare me.

Eventually, i felt really tired and slept right there on the chair, being woken by Lia when she noticed i wasn’t in the bed with her. The day about to come and just the two of us there. I stared at her carrying a little blanket on her shoulders and with bed hair. She was beautiful. She laid beside me and covered us with the blanket.

When the morning rose, i looked upon the horizon and what i saw made me scared. A thick fog upon the sea, behind it thick black clouds filled with lightning, shining light at weird sillouetes that made my heart skip a beat. Lia screamed, getting up from the chair.

— What is that, Miguel? — she said, scared.

— I have no idea. I think it’s best we go inside. Perhaps it’s going to rain — i said, insecure.

— That can’t be rain, Miguel. I’ve never seen anything like it! What are those things inside the clouds?

— Let’s go inside, Lia.

I grabbed her hand and we ran towards Juan and Jesus’ room. They opened the door, a little sleepy, but when they noticed our faces, they woke up completely.

— Put on your clothes, let’s go to the deck — i told them, not explaining why — We need a few life jackets.

I don’t really know why i said that, but, it was something i felt i needed to do.

They were confused, but obliged. I’m sure Juan also felt something was about to happen. And it did. The very loud sound of the ship’s horn was heard by everybody. We ran and saw the crew running around closing the every glass doors.

Thunder struck, sounding more akin to cannons being shot, were heard right next to us. The sky blackened, taking away the dawn with it, and bringing the night again. The water was agitated, shaking the ship around and entering it. I yelled at my friends to grab the jackets, while fighting against the wind. Someone from the crew saw us, and yelled for us to go inside, for it wasn’t safe there.

Lia grabbed her life jacket, and while turning around, she slipped and fell. She hit the ship’s bars. I managed to get a grip on her. My eyes looked for the main hall entrance and i saw one of the crewmates telling us to enter, for they were going to close the doors for good. The thunderstrucks must have waken the passangers. There were hands on the windows, as well as widened eyes looking at the darkened sky, while the sound of furniture hitting the walls was being heard.

The first drop of rain fell on me and made the waters even angrier. I grabbed Lia with the help of my friends, but, the ship tip to the right and the wet floor took us to the main hall’s walls. We screamed. Another tip and our bodies were thrusted to the other side. I looked at the skies, while lying on the ground, and that weird light made the clouds have a rainbow tone. A big wave washed the deck and everything went dark. I could only feel by body slamming on the cold water and being surrounded by it. The jacket didn’t let me drown, but, while i was there, holding me breath, believing that to me my and my friend’s end, i opened up my eyes and what i saw left me in awe. There was a underwater city that shone a light from the depths of the ocean. It wasn’t ruined as i expected. There were arches, columns, ground made of mosaic stones, statues and vases. I thought i saw something move by the entrance of what i believed to be a temple. That scared me, but when i noticed my friends going up, i started doing the same.

Weirdly enough, when i took a deep breath, the sea looked calm and the sky was clear. There was a rope ladder that took us to the ship’s deck, but we didn’t see no one there.

When we boarded up the ship, out of breath, but safe, we looked at each other. I understood that they had also seen the city. Everything was dry, like there wasn’t just a storm. I grabbed Lia’s hand and we went to the atrium. There was no one there either. After half an hour looking, we realized we were all alone.

Afraid and not understanding what had just happened, we went back to the deck and our jaws dropped. Beside the ship, there was the San José with it’s sails up, but just as lost as we were.

— What is going on here? — Juan asked while Lia cried by my side.

— It was the sunken city — said Jesus — There’s someone down there. It was them who brought us here.

We went silent, watching the horizon, and trying to wrap our heads around everything that had happened.

— We have to explore that city. If they brought us here, they’ll have to take us back — i said, watching them look at me.

— Are you crazy? How are we gonna do that? What if we get stuck there?

— We’re already stuck. Look around you — i told them and we saw the Queen’s Anne, the Mary Celeste, the Wastemoreland all around us and San José’s. — Let’s find the Liveaboard that was supposed to take us diving. There will be the equipment we need.

— I don’t wanna go — cried Lia.

— We have to, Lia, otherwise we’re never gonna get outta here.

She obliged and we went looking for where they stored the cargo. Something told me the Liveaboard was gonna be there.