Today is a great day for Cora because it’s her birthday. Cora’s parents decorated their little diving school at the beach with colorful garlands and lanterns. They almost spend more time down in the shack made of bamboo and reeds than at home in their apartment. Cora excitedly unpacks her birthday presents. “Wow, new snorkeling equipment!”, she shouts full of excitement. But there is another package. Cora curiously says, “I have no idea what this could be.” As she carefully opens the small box, she can hardly believe it, “An underwater camera! I’ve always wanted one like this. I can’t wait to try it out tomorrow. You can even film with it. This is so cool!” Cora joyfully thanks her parents for the wonderful gifts. As the evening comes, the lanterns shine in the dark and the sea glitters in the moonlight. They stay on their terrace for a while longer and enjoy the nightly silence. Only the gentle sound of the waves can be heard.
The very next day Cora can’t wait to go to the beach after school. For homework, she has to come up with a topic for a presentation. But first of all, she has to get changed quickly. She swiftly slips into her long sleeved UV-shirt and her neoprene leggings. Her mother reminds her, “Don’t forget to apply sunscreen anyway, Cora! Otherwise your face and neck aren’t protected and you’ll get sunburned!” If it was up to Cora, she wouldn’t use it at all, because it can be harmful for sea life and especially for coral. Fortunately, her mother has an environmentally friendly sunscreen. Once she’s finally ready, Cora puts her diving mask on, which covers her eyes and nose. Then she puts the snorkel into her mouth and holds on to the mouthpiece with her teeth. She attaches her new
underwater camera onto her wrist with a loop. “So, ready!” Cora has already done this so many times. To her it’s like tying shoelaces. Now, off into the crystal-clear water! As soon as she’s in the water she puts her new fins on. They fit perfectly, exactly her size.
Close to the beach there’s a little bay, which is very good for snorkeling and has a beautiful underwater world. Cora does a few flaps of the fin, without moving her arms. Then she calmly starts to snorkel with her face in the water. By doing so, she is able to observe the coral below the water’s surface that looks like underwater flowers. And already, she’s in a completely different and fascinating world. Wow, it looks like a mountain chain of flowers!
Without a healthy ocean there won’t be a healthy planet This story intends to convey how important the protection of our environment is. If our oceans are in danger, Earth will not be a healthy planet, and this will also cause harm to humanity.
ISBN 978-84-18649-46-2
9 788418
649462