The most serious damage appeared to be to the ship, the S.S. Dunvegan Castle which had collided with the pier. There had been damage to both the ship and the pier, but it was hard to tell how bad the damage really was.
To learn how much damage had been done to the ship, an underwater diving company was hired. John Palmer was sent to make the inspection dive. With him was his support crew which stayed on the ship to assist him during the dive. John reviewed with his crew the signals he would use during the dive, especially in an emergency.
John went overboard in his diving suit with attached air hoses and with ropes to pull him back to the boat. The sea was calm, and he was able to make a good inspection of both the ship and the pier. He was about to signal his crew to pull him back to the surface, when suddenly something darted out from a crevice in the rocks and gripped his arm as if it were in a vise. In a moment of awful horror, John realized that he was in the grip of an octopus! Then another tentacle flashed around his chest, and he was held in a deadly embrace!
John was helpless. There was nothing he could do to get free. He knew his only chance was to get help from above!
Are you still being held captive by your sins? Sin is deadly! Only the Lord Jesus Christ can save you and break you free from its tentacles of power. If you have never come to the Lord Jesus to have your sins taken away, you have no more power to free yourself than John had. Call to the loving Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will set you free. “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21.
Up on deck lay John’s only hope to get out of this alive! With all his might he desperately pulled the emergency signal. Almost immediately he felt himself rising . . . they had gotten his signal and were pulling him up. But his enemy, the octopus, was going up with him! Still, he didn’t lose hope - he would soon reach help. Up, up, up he went. It seemed to take forever, but finally he could see daylight. He soon reached the surface of the water.
“An octopus!” yelled the first man to see John. “Quick! Get a knife!” Using the knife and a small ax, they worked at releasing John. It was not an easy job since octopus tentacles are lined with hundreds of tiny suction cups. But at last John stood free - no longer the captive of an octopus. What a relief!
Would you like relief from your sins? Jesus is able and willing to save anyone who comes to Him. “He sent from above. He took me; He drew me out of many waters.” 2 Samuel 22:17.
ML-10/17/1993