Depths

Shipwrecked

The average depth of the ocean is about 3,688 meters or 12,100 feet. Once you pass 1,000 meters the water is completely devoid of light and you have reached the deep ocean. Down here the temperature plummets to 39 degrees Fahrenheit and constantly stays near freezing. The pressure at these depths range from about 40 to over 110 times the pressure of the Earth's atmosphere.

The Outer Banks is called the Graveyard of the Atlantic. For centuries due to storms, shifting inlets, and capes, ships have been wrecking and running aground off the coast of the Outer Banks. World Wars I and II also led to a number of shipwrecks off the coast including over two dozen sunken by German u-boats in WWII. There are an estimated 3,000 shipwrecks off the coast earning this region of the Atlantic Ocean the nickname 'Graveyard of the Atlantic'. Some of the shipwreck stories have a sad ending like that of the Huron, losing 98 lives that day, some infamous such as the Queen Anne's Revenge, the pirate Blackbeard's flagship, and some shipwrecks like the Mirlo, have a heroic rescue story.

This is the story of how five teenagers set out on the adventure of their lives for the biggest one of them all, The Royal Merchant; to finish what no one else could, and to hit the biggest score of their lives.

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Balancing on the beam of the roof, John B lifts one foot into the air while holding his beer in his hand, staring out into the ocean in front of him. Below him Pope messes around with power tools that were left behind from the carpentry workers as they left their day's work and called it quits on the massive structure being built on Figure Eight. Two bodies sit on the scaffolding tower to the right and down from him, each dangling their feet off the edge with a beer in each of their hands.

"How much do you want to bet he drops his beer?" JJ whispers to the brunette seated beside him. Harli quips a smirk as she glances up at the balancing act above her.

"Ten bucks that it's within the next five minutes." Harli challenges.

"You're on. I give him at least ten minutes."

"That's what, a three story fall to the deck?" Pope questions the boy above them. "I give you about a one-in-three chance of survival."

"Hm." The brunette boy contemplates, sticking his finger in his mouth to wet it and holds it up to the wind. "Should I do it?"

"Yeah. I'll shot you on the way down." The boy at the bottom teases.

"You'll shoot me?" John B questions, pointing finger guns at the dark-skinned boy below.

"They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers." Kie sighs incredulously as she exits the inner workings of the home being built. "This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles, I guess?"

"I can't have cold towels." JJ shoots off sarcastically and Harli nudges him in the side with her elbow.

"Can you please not kill yourself?" Kie harshly questions the boy that decided to play acrobat this afternoon.

"Don't spill that beer. I'm not giving you another one." JJ deadpans.

"Whoa!" John B loses his balance for a second on the roof. Clang! The beer sounds hitting the deck below. "Oh, shit."

"Of course you did. Smooth."

"Pay up, J." Harli smirks, holding her hand out and waiting for the blonde to lay a ten dollar bill into her palm. Before he can maneuver around to reach his wallet Pope's getting their attention below.

"Hey! Hey, uh, security's here." He informs the others.

"Later, Cupcake." JJ smirks at her and she rolls her eyes, knowing that she will never see the winnings of their bet. "Let's wrap it up. Boys are early today." JJ jumps down from the scaffolding, holding his arms out for the girl above him to jump into. She lets out a small screech as he carefully catches her, setting her down onto the deck. "Humpty Dumpty, let's roll." JJ calls out to the boy on the roof, who slides easily down the side and jumps like a monkey until he reaches the deck below.