sighted in our combing of the reefs. It would require much 

 investigation and checking to verify whether it was indeed 

 the right ship. 



First of all, before anything was disturbed, we planned 

 to photograph the whole area. Then Ed would go over 

 the bottom with the underwater detector, seeking the pat- 

 tern of the wreckage beneath the coral. Captain Weems or 

 one of the boys would follow him, marking with bricks 

 any spots that indicated the presence of metal. Later they 

 would investigate these locations and remove whatever 

 might be there, hidden in the coral. It might be necessary 

 to dynamite lightly to break up certain coral formations 

 which otherwise refused to reveal their secrets. But dyna- 

 mite is destructive, and must be employed very carefully. 

 We would use it only after everything else had failed. 



We headed back toward Sea Diver for lunch and 

 to secure the necessary equipment to dive upon the ballast. 

 By the time we had eaten, the wind was blowing out of 

 the northeast at twenty-five knots, preventing us from ex- 

 ploring the reef that afternoon. Before the end of the day 

 it had reached thirty-two. The high wind also forced us to 

 change our plan of returning to Cap Haitien for the night, 

 for we were doubtful as to how Reef Diver would make out, 

 trailing along behind us in the heavy following seas which 

 had built up in the ocean. 



So we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in 

 dreaming and talking of the possibilities ahead of us. If 

 we had indeed come upon the Santa Maria, never had 

 we had such luck in locating the object of our search with 

 so little difficulty. 



186 Sea Diver 



