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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Mystery
- Subject: Mystery
- Published: 01/09/2025
Whispers from the Sea
Born 1968, F, from Hertfordshire, United KingdomWhispers from the Sea
Rick was really excited. The day was here, when he was going to dive down to the local shipwreck with his best friend Mike. Rick and Mike had been diving together for 5 years and were very experienced but had not yet tried to dive to the Lady Sarah, a passenger boat that had sunk near their home town over hundred years ago.
They knew about the rumours of course. Local stories were told about the Lady Sarah and the locals believed sea spirits had taken the boat and all those on it. It was said that one spirit of a lady passenger had been left behind and that she was lonely and looking for other humans whose spirits she could claim. It was believed that although many have tried, no-one has managed to dive to the wreckage and if they did, they would not return to tell the tale and that their spirits now inhabit the fish and sea life that live on the wreck. Divers and fishermen in the area have claimed they have heard a high-pitched wailing, believed to be the spirit of the woman who was left behind.
Rick and Mike packed up their equipment and made their way down to the beach, where they would meet the launch that would take them out to the shipwreck site. It was early and the weather was cold and grey, but that did not dampen their excitement. The villagers believed that the spirits of the crew and passengers still inhabited the boat, and although many had tried diving to the wreck in the past, they were unable to make it onto the wreck as the spirits were ‘guarding’ the boat. Rick and Joe were aware of the stories, but neither believed in ghosts and they were keen to put those beliefs to rest.
“I can’t wait to get down there and see how much of the boat is still intact” said Rick, as he started loading his equipment on to the launch.
“I know” said Mike thoughtfully, “will be interesting to see if local folklore is true about the ghosts on the ship. I do not believe in spirits, of course, but will be interesting to see what is happening down there”.
Once the two men had loaded their equipment Joe, the owner of the launch, started the engine and they were off, making their way out to the site of the old wreck. Rick sat quietly, reflecting on their earlier conversation and the stories the villagers believed about the boat. The Lady Sarah had set off from Cornwall, taking about 100 passengers and crew on a day trip where they would watch for whales and Dolphins, enjoy some time on deck and a sumptuous lunch before returning to the harbour. A couple of hours into the journey it was rumoured that something attacked the boat, but it was unclear what. A Mayday message was sent, and the Lifeboat crew immediately went out in search of the boat. They found the Lady Sarah but from the wreckage could only account for half the crew and passengers. It was rumoured that the remainder had escaped on a lifeboat, but there was never any evidence of this, and they (or the lifeboat) were never found.
After about an hour Joe cut the engine. “we’re here” he said as Mike and Rick started to put on their breathing apparatus. Excitedly they made their way to the side of the boat and prepared to enter the water. Mike entered first, closely followed by Rick. Once safely in the water, they started to make their way to the shipwreck.
It was very murky under the water and barnacles were stuck to everything. An array of sea fish swam past them but today they were focused on getting to the boat. After swimming for about 15 minutes Rick started to gesture to Mike that he could see something ahead. With a thumbs up from Mike, they both started heading towards the dark shape that they thought would be the boat.
As they got closer, they could hear a strange sound, like a high-pitched wailing coming from the boat. They looked at each other and Mike indicated they should continue and investigate. Rick wasn’t too sure, but he followed Mike as they moved towards the wreckage. The wailing got louder, and Rick was feeling a bit freaked by it, but Mike continued, determined to investigate. Rick tapped him on the shoulder and indicated that he would remain outside the wreck. Mike gave the thumbs up signal and carried on, entering through a hole he had found in the side. The wailing continued and Rick thought he saw something moving on the deck. Don’t be silly he thought to himself, it was probably some seaweed or a fish, the wailing is probably water ‘swishing’ through the wreck.
The minutes passed and Mike did not reappear. Rick started to worry, he wasn’t sure if he should go in and look for Mike or stay put. He looked at his diving watch, Mike had been gone for 10 minutes now and Rick was really worried. He decided to surface and call for help from the boat that was waiting for them. This was risky and he didn’t like to leave Mike, but he wasn’t sure what else to do.
Rick started to slowly make his way to the surface, looking to see if he could see bubbles from Mike’s apparatus. But the sea was very still, and Rick used his whistle and flag to get the attention of the launch, that sped over to where he was. Rick climbed aboard and quickly explained what had happened. The Skipper immediately got onto the radio and summoned the coastguard to ask for help. A rescue boat was sent out, heading towards the launch and the wreck dive spot. Rick was growing more anxious by the minute, worrying what had happened to Mike. At last, the rescue crew arrived and prepared to dive down to the wreck. Rick wanted to go with them, but the leader of the rescue crew advised him to stay on the boat.
The team dived in and made their way to the wreck. They were consciously listening out for the wailing sound that Rick had described but there was no sound, other than the water lapping around the wreck. The team checked the wreck thoroughly, and used their thermal imaging cameras but could find no sign of Mike. They returned to the boat and radioed into the coastguard who was scanning the sea surface to let them know that there was no sign of Mike on or around the wreck.
The search carried on for the rest of the day and into the night with no success. Rick had been taken back to land and he was sitting waiting anxiously in the Coastguard’s office with his wife Jenny and Mike’s girlfriend Maria. At the moment the sea was still, calm and peaceful looking, but Rick was very aware of the tides ebb and flow, when the landscape can change at any minute and the sea can become a treacherous place.
Early the following morning the search started again, but by the end of the day there was still no sign of mike. This went on for several more days until the Coastguard called off the search. There had been no sighting of Mike, it was like he had disappeared without a trace.
The thought was that perhaps he had hit his head and had no memory and had been picked up by another vessel some way from the dive site, as there had been no sign of a body, and he was officially declared missing. Rick blamed himself for Mike’s disappearance and over the following months and years spent lots of time and money searching for Mike, to no avail.
He continued to torture himself with his own thoughts about what had happened and for not going into the wreck with Mike at the time. The villagers, however, claim that local fisherman and divers in the area have reported hearing a male voice wailing in the dark…….
The End
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