2015-12-07

【Aiden in English】

        Water makes up about seventy-five percent of the surface of Earth. One may say this seventy-five percent is useless, undrinkable, and dangerous to many animals. What they don’t see is the organisms thriving below the surface of the water, where the water is everything to the creatures that live there. I too didn’t realize the extent of how much marine life could sustain. It all changed when I traveled to the Galapagos Islands, in which I embarked on the journey of my life. It was then that I finally come to the obvious conclusion that all along the water couldn’t have been more helpful and alive and active than I ever imagined.

        Just a thought about the oceans gave me a shiver. At the start of April, the power of the equator was already taking effect, and the sun brutally beat upon my unprotected neck. But even the most penetrating ultra-violet rays could not counter the constant jittery shiver traveling down my spine. There was nothing cold about this day, even the shade on board the cruise ship of Celebrity Xpedition reflected this fact. If it was just another regular vacation, I probably wouldn’t be experiencing this odd sinking feel down deep inside, slowly making its way through my body. I couldn’t really put my finger on the emotion, but the thing in my stomach felt like a mix of fear and adrenaline. Checking the clock for at least the hundredth time, I settled down enough to take a few calm breaths. In ten minutes, I would ride a zodiac, a small raft with a propeller, off of this floating safe haven into dangerous waters. With top of the notch gear, and experienced guides, I should be in a cool, assured state, not the unshakeable unease residing in me. Staring at the clock once again, counting the seconds out until the minute mark, while trying to compose myself, I slowly walked towards to a door. Even though my breaths evened out, the sense of impending doom clung with me as I reached for the door.

        As I made my way to the forward decks, the strong scent of sea salt attacking my senses, I saw no signs of people. Everyone was talking about going snorkeling the night before, and the Galapagos Islands had wonders of nature unmatched on earth. These islands were formed from underwater volcano thousands of years ago. With nutrients from the cooled lava, not only did the animals above land benefit, but life beneath the surface of the water was just as teeming with life. After hearing all these good things about nature, I still felt scared. When I was younger, I was afraid of drowning. As I started taking swimming lessons, however, I slowly overcame that fear. The reason I got that churning feeling in my gut today was a fear that had been developing since the first day of preschool. The Galapagos Islands were said to contain sharks.

        The only other person who knows about my odd fear was my mom, and she persistently bugged me on how human flesh doesn’t taste very good to the sharks. Although she put in a lot of effort, it wasn’t exactly comforting. The zodiac was ready to take the snorkelers out to the diving area came into sight, and an overwhelming smell of bleach washed over my mouth and nose. I saw mom waiting for me, and she was holding out my snorkeling gear, which consisted of a suit, a mask, lenses and a pair of flippers. Gratefully taking them, mom approached me one last time about my thing with sharks. “Aiden, you know sharks don’t like the taste of human flesh,” she said, in such a matter-of-fact tone that discouraged me even further. 

        Having already heard similar things over a hundred times, I replied just like the other replies I had said before, “Woah, that’s a confidence booster.” Usually, mom doesn’t really get the sarcasm at first, though. Once my gear was on, I was signaled into one of the boats, and within moments of boarding, the sudden lurching of the zodiac was detected by the passengers, silently telling them that standing would be unwise. If they somehow did not receive the message, a monotonic voice spoke over unseen loudspeakers. “Please be seated when the boat is in motion,” although that was quite unnecessary as the ship had just been bashed by a wave or the size of the state’s standardized test.

        In no time at all, the cruise ship became a single simple, shining dot floating upon a light, fresh, turquoise horizon. Head stretching out on top of the waves, the wind streaming by felt amazingly crisp, fueling me with exhilaration. I was closing my eyes, picturing of paradise, just beginning to relax when a particularly large wave smashed into my face. Snapping out of the trance, I finally took notice of my surroundings. The zodiac had taken a turn around an enormous fifty-meter high cliff that had seemingly appeared from thin air. It loomed above our tiny boat as if it was threatening to squash us like flies caught in a spider web. Skirting away from the rocky edges of the outcrops, I recognized the area the guides had informed me of the day before. The zodiac slowed down as we approached an area where the cliff gave way to a shallower spot teeming with marine life. Even from above the water, the bright colors of some fish penetrated the surface of the water. The guides and lifeguards gave us the word to jump in, although I felt though it was more like the passenger's dove in before the signal was given. We had two hours of time to spend here, and in those two long hours, it appeared to be a large opening for a shark sighting. Even though I was quite scared of them, it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t a tad bit interested in seeing one face to face. Standing on the edge of the zodiac, seeing all the fish and the fun the other tourists were having, I took a deep breath and leaped off of the secure area of the boat and into dangerous territory.

        When I opened my eyes, they were greeted by an assault of fish. Quite literally, considering the splash had disturbed a small school of fish zipping through right beneath me. I didn’t mean it, and so the fish regrouped nearby and moved on. Throughout the crazy, frenzy-like start, sometimes along the first few minutes, I took a small breath, and water slipped into my mouth. This is quite rare coming from an experienced swimmer, but it’s not every day that you landed on top of a school of fish. The sickly saltiness of the water registered in my brain, and I was stunned at how strong the taste was on the equator. I’ve known what saltwater tasted like from previous experiences from going to the New Jersey shore multiple times in the summer, but this time of year is way too cold for swimming in the north. The horrid taste gave me a quick flashback and breaking the surface, I couldn’t see anyone else above water. So, taking a few large breaths, readjusting my goggles, I tucked my head first underwater. At the outset, the message wasn’t processed in the mind. When it finally dawned upon how simply spectacular what I am witnessing, I had to take a gasp. Instead of fish swimming around a bunch of rocks, I saw them moving around in a community, as a society, as a whole new world. Coral and sea plants of all kind sprout from seams and crevasses in rocks and the floor, in which fish fed on. Fish with the color of the sandy floor hid in shadows, while others appeared to glow with the light bouncing strongly off their beautiful scales. Trumpetfish, long and proud, would race with one another around seaweed. As I traced their paths, they somehow narrowly missed an eel that minded his own business. It seemed as if I had leaped into a whole new world, hidden from view to regular mortals above. Unfortunately for me, the gasp had forced me to inhale a bit of water, so the moment came to an end abruptly for I, again, would find myself in desperate need of air. As I rose to the surface, a particularly large splash caught my attention and as well as nearby snorkelers.

        At once I thought it was to be a shark, but the sea continued to play with me since that was not the case. A very casual sea otter stopped by to check out what was going on, and he discovered a group of tourists invading his area. Instead of defending his rightful territory, the sea otter swam around, giving us all a show. I must say, the way his fins easily and gracefully sliced through the water seemed like the otter was just a big, hairy fish. Twirling like a ballerina, it surrounded itself in bubbles, torpedoing away from my sight. As soon as I gave chase, a shadow seemed to pass over me, making to water immediately feel ten degrees colder. Tilting my head the slightest, afraid to attract whatever had suddenly given me the fear, out of the corner of my eye, a quick flash brought terror to my mind. I knew what it was, how fast it moved, there was no doubt about it. A shark had found me.

        Circling around really quick underwater, my twin eyeballs latched on to the shark’s position. Its body easily moved over two meters in length, its eyes seemed to reflect a dangerous glint of a deadly predator, and its flesh was traveling like a sleek missile acquiring a target. Effortlessly gliding across the water, I thought the sea otter would be the most nimble in the water. The more I saw of the shark, the more I knew how greatly I was mistaken. The shark was the king in the water, no one daring to oppose it. Although the sea otter had amazing abilities underwater, it had an extent, and it was also a creature of the land. The shark was born to be the ruler of the oceans, the undeniable god beneath the surface. It circled me, sizing me up. It was just a matter of moments when the shark would flash in for a quick strike.

        It never came. The shark simply turned the other way, facing the other tourists like it was no big deal. I watched its tail swish back and forth into the distance, and I just noticed I had been holding my breath the whole time. When I gasped, and once again water rushed in because my head was still below the surface. As I resurfaced, as I felt a sense of annoyance as how easily I forgot that breathing underwater wasn’t healthy for the body in snorkeling gear. I stared down upon the life below from near the top of the water, afraid of the shark was going to return. Yet at the same time, I felt calm as if a realization had dawned on me. The oceans may have seemed scary before, where people drown and lives are lost, and sharks attack innocent creatures, but it is no different than any other ecosystem on earth. Although I can’t say my fear of sharks was gone, if they didn’t eat me, I guess I could live with them around. A quick yet piercing fog horn sounded, slicing through both air and water, signaling all tourists to return to the tenders. Looking back to the last place I sighted the shark, I turned and swam to the boats, and to the safe and secure.

【紅霞譯文】

        地球表面大約覆蓋着百分之七十五的水分，也許有人會說這些水跟廢物沒什麼兩樣，既無法飲用，又對不少動物造成危害，可他們偏偏忽略了水面之下寄居着形形色色的生物個體，可以說水是世間萬物賴以生存的基本保障。起先我也沒有意識到海洋生物與水資源息息相關，直到踏上加拉帕戈斯群島亦即達爾文群島開始實地考察之旅，方才明白水要比從前想象的更加實在，更有靈性，更富活力。

        一想起大海，我心裡難免有些發怵。時下正值四月伊始，赤道已彰顯威懾力量，太陽恨不能把我的脖子烤焦，但哪怕穿透性極強的紫外線都無法驅散我脊梁骨冒出的嗖嗖寒氣，其實天氣本身一點不冷，即使躲進“名人·遠征”號遊輪背陰之處也不會讓我感到絲毫涼意。假如換成一般性度假，哪至於渾身上下處處感覺不是滋味，我並非有意矯情，而是心裡確實緊張得要命，結果頻頻盯着鐘錶查看時間，前後少說百八十回，最終好不容易才讓自己的情緒平靜下來。十分鐘過後，我將乘坐小型充氣快艇離開眼前隨潮漲落的安全港灣，前往波浪起伏的深海水域。當然專供接送我們的交通工具裝備精良，而負責帶隊的導遊又經驗豐富，我本應隨遇而安，可心裡頭卻像十五個吊桶打水七上八下的。我抬頭再次凝視掛鍾，隨着秒針推向分針，心裡暗自數起數來，為的是保持淡定。這時我慢慢地向大門走去，雖然呼吸平緩神情自若，但在伸手拉門那一瞬間，一種不祥的預感猛然湧上心頭。

        當我走到甲板，只覺刺鼻的咸腥味迎面撲來，周圍鮮見人跡影蹤。昨晚大家已商定好今兒一塊去深海浮潛，達爾文群島得天獨厚，自然景觀奇特秀麗，世上沒有任何地方能與之相媲美。這裡大大小小的島嶼都是幾千年前由海底火山爆發衍生而成，噴出的岩漿冷卻後為生物圈提供了天然養分，不僅有益於陸生動物生長發育，而且還滋養海洋生物繁衍後代，了解到當地生態與地貌間關係之後，我反倒變得焦慮起來。記得小的時候，我很怕溺水，好在自打上課掃盲並強化游泳技能以來，逐漸克服了內心恐懼，但時至今日之所以仍對海水心有餘悸，恐怕要歸咎於幼兒園初始所接受的啟蒙教育，何況達爾文群島的確常有鯊魚出入。

        知子莫如母，媽媽最了解我內心糾結，這也是為什麼她總是勸我釋然放懷，鯊魚並非喜歡人肉味道，但無論她想出何種辦法，始終未能徹底打消我恐懼心理。遊輪外，小快艇按原定計劃各就各位，正準備帶領我們這些浮潛愛好者奔赴附近水域；遊輪上，一股股清洗潛水道具的漂白劑氣味直撲臉龐，嗆得我難以呼吸。媽媽早已等在一旁，手中握着救生衣、面具、蛙鏡和蛙鞋，我欣然接過行頭，臨行前她不忘湊到跟前再三強調：“兒歌，鯊魚真的不愛吃大活人。”經她這麼一說，我愈發覺得自己底氣不足。

        經常聽到諸如此類的問題，我的答覆也變得老成許多：“好哇，這真叫我信心倍增。”一般情況下，媽媽一下子吃不准我話裡有話。等裝束完畢，我旋即登上指定的船隻朝目的地駛去。沒過多久，小氣艇出現突發狀況，有人無視勸阻居然從座位上站了起來，假如你事先不知明文規定便罷，那麼現場不知從哪個揚聲器中傳出的念經般聲音迫使你必須照章執行：“行駛當中請在原位坐好”。其實這種擔心完全沒有必要，因為船體本身業已通過國家級波浪衝擊標準檢驗。

        很快地，遊輪越變越小，好像一道亮光影影綽綽閃耀在明快清新碧綠色地平線上，露出水面的小部分船體隨波漂蕩，海風從水面上陣陣吹拂，浪花歡快地唱起嘹亮的歌兒，無不叫人感到心曠神怡。我閉上雙眼，宛若步入人間仙境，本想好生放飛思緒，不料卻被迎面襲來的巨浪打得粉碎，恍惚之餘，我趕緊集中精力注視周圍境況。小氣艇轉彎來到一座空氣稀薄高度足有五十米的巨型峭壁跟前，猶如泰山壓頂，讓我覺得像只蒼蠅掉進蜘蛛網那般死無葬身之地。繞過嶙峋的礁岩，我即刻認出導遊昨天向大家描述的景地，小氣艇開始減速，慢慢朝水位低淺但生機盎然的區域靠近，即使站在海面之上，人們一眼就能看清水中色彩斑駁的魚群，尚未等到導遊和救生員令下，大家紛紛跳下船去。今天我們來這裡浮潛打算消磨兩個鐘頭，也就是說鯊魚可以充分把握大好時機來處置這些瓮中之鱉。儘管我嚇得要死，但若不面對面親自看上鯊魚一眼，心裡難免有種遺憾的感覺。誠然，我也可以像其他遊客一樣站在小氣艇邊盡覽魚翔淺底，藉之體驗出海游弋的快樂，不過我情願遠離安逸地帶，鼓足勇氣一頭扎進遍布刺激的危險水域。

        當我睜開眼睛，恍然發現自己已陷入魚群的重重包圍之中，毫不誇張地講，大批魚群正從身下蜂擁而上，本人並無別的意思，它們只不過集結在我身旁而已，然後倏忽聚散繼續前行。初來乍到，我腦袋有點犯懵，換氣時不小心嗆了一口海水，對於像我這樣經驗豐富的游泳能手來說，真夠露怯的，可話扯了回來，咱又不是天天以魚為伍，出現這種閃失情有可原。海水猴咸，深深烙印在大腦皮層，“民物於世樊然並生，同食天地自然之利”，我由衷感嘆赤道上甚至連海水的鹹度也卓爾不群。以往每逢夏天來臨，我頻繁出沒於新澤西州海邊，因此熟知那裡的海水滋味，可惜時下正值初春四月，北方氣溫尚低寒冷依舊，洗海澡談何容易。關鍵在於，這可怕的鹹味一下子打亂了行進節奏，逼我再度浮出水面，我兩眼模糊，前方什麼人物都辨認不清。於是我趕緊做上幾回深呼吸，重新調整好潛水蛙鏡，然後轉頭扎猛入水。一開始我顧不上多想，後來逐漸被周圍壯美的自然景觀所打動。從那時起，我不再把目標鎖定在穿梭於暗礁之間的魚群，而是將注意力投向它們的集散團隊、水生環境乃至全新世界。珊瑚海藻從岩縫石壑中繁茂成長，為魚群提供了取之不盡用之不盡的物質食糧。有的小魚孤身躲在海底背陰處，與沙地渾然一體；還有的小魚身着五彩繽紛的鱗片，隨時反射出明快絢麗的光芒。喇叭魚身段頎長且自視清高，彼此爭相圍着海草繞來轉去。我尾隨其後，不知什麼原因，它們不太理睬鰻魚，而鰻魚更喜歡孤芳自賞。遠離水面上方馬達的喧囂吵鬧，眼前的一切讓我猶如置身於世外桃園。可惜好景不長，換氣時我倒吸了一口海水，因此必須重新調整呼吸裝置，不得已我只好從水面冒了出來，正巧撞見身邊濺起的特大水花，立馬引起大家的高度注意。

        起初我以為是鯊魚作祟，不料大海又跟我開了個玩笑，實際上與鯊魚毫無關係。原來有隻海獺順道打探情況，結果發現一幫遊客搶占了自己的地盤，可它並不急於收復失地，反而來回周旋打轉，還為我們做特技表演。值得稱道的是，海獺前掌後腳配合得輕鬆優雅，其體態雍容大方，看上去很像一條圓滾滾毛絨絨的肥魚。它的旋轉舞姿輕盈嫻熟，藝術水平堪比芭蕾舞演員，水面上泛起了層層漣漪。表演完畢，海獺魚雷般地從人們的視野中消失。我疾速追去，發覺身體上方出現大片影子，頃刻間水溫仿佛驟降了十度。我略微轉過頭來，用眼角餘光斜視目標，生怕被所見之物嚇壞自己，腦海里浮現出恐怖的景象。我心裡十分清楚，單憑移動速度便可斷定，鯊魚已瞄上了我。

        我順勢繞着水環快速游動，張開一對大眼珠子使勁盯住鯊魚的動向，這個龐然大物只要稍微挪動一點，少說就是兩米以遠；其雙眸橫眉冷對，放射出殺氣騰騰的凶光，瞧它渾身上下膘肥體壯，簡直像個賊肉導彈想打誰就打誰。我越看鯊魚，越覺得自己辦了件蠢事。說實在的，海獺水性高超，在水中遊刃有餘，大概算得上最機靈的水生動物；鯊魚號稱水中之王，無人敢碰它一根毫毛。不過海獺技術水平再高也有限度，畢竟它還要上岸過陸地生活。鯊魚天生說一不二，是海底世界至高無上的神靈。此刻鯊魚圍着我轉了又轉，並一步步向我逼近，接下來無需吹灰之力就可以把我徹底幹掉。

        結果什麼事都沒發生，鯊魚撇下我扭頭朝其他遊客游去，一副滿不在乎的樣子。望着它甩着尾巴漸行漸遠，我長舒了一口氣，因為全身始終沒於水下，海水又一次乘機鑽進了我的嘴裡。當我再度浮出水面方才意識到，人們很容易干傻事，身着浮潛裝在水裡憋氣實際上對身體健康相當不利。我低頭俯視漂游於水面的魚群，擔心鯊魚會重新殺回來傷害這些無辜生靈。在嘗試不凡經歷的同時，我的心情豁然開朗，以前一直懼怕大海，因為溺水喪生時有發生，再加上鯊魚不住地興風作浪，可是陸地上同樣會發生天災人禍。儘管現在說鯊魚沒啥好顧慮之類的話仍為時過早，但如果它們不想跟我過意不去，這麼認為也未嘗不可。返航的號角吹響，從空中海上一齊傳了過來，所有遊客必須重歸小氣艇上。臨行前我回首又看上一眼鯊魚出沒的地方，然後轉身徑直朝安全地帶游去。