A Day in the Life of aSCUBA DIVER

By ShayneAnd

Carter

5:00 amSouth Africa

I am on my way to the beach where I will board a boat to take me out to the reef. This morning I packed a full wetsuit (to keep me dry), a mask, a snorkel, fins (so that I may move better in the water), and some air tanks.And I won’t forget my waterproof journal.

9:00 amOff the coast, Indian Ocean

I am on the boat on my way to the reef. Some water has splashed on my wetsuit. It sticks to my wetsuit because of its polarity. There are also tiny water droplets on the boat’s windshield. They stay there because of adhesion. The water drops also started to come together to form larger drops. This is because of cohesion.

10:00 am Off the coast, Indian Ocean

The boat has stopped and I am about to take my jump into the water. The ocean is so big because of how the water molecules bond together using a hydrogen bond. When I jump in the water, I have to make sure to enter correctly or I may hurt myself because of the surface tension. I have to break through in the right form so that I don’t injure myself. I find it interesting how the surface tension causes there to be a thin, elastic film on the water’s surface.

10:30 amIn the Indian Ocean

I am now in the water, swimming and observing the beautiful reef. There are many schools of fish around. The fish like it here, close to the surface, because the heat from deeper depths rises up here. The water also releases heat slowly, so the fish are still warm a little into winter, due to the specific heat of water. However, water also absorbs heat slowly as well, so the fish will still be a little chilly into summer.

11:00In the Indian Ocean

I love all the fish up here, but I wish I could journey deeper down into the ocean to see the strange and wonderful creatures that call the abyss their abode. I cannot because of Water’s Density: The deeper I go, the denser the water and the higher the water pressure. If I went down too far, I would be crushed by the pressure. I wonder how the creatures that live down there manage to survive, like the Anglerfish and the Gulper eel.

12:00 pmOff the coast, Indian Ocean

I have climbed back onto the boat due to the weather. It is now raining and the captain fears that a thunderstorm may come. It is raining because of the Water Cycle: Water evaporates from the ocean, accumulates into clouds, and the clouds get so full of water they eventually drop all the water they contain, making it rain.

1:00 pmOff the coast, Indian Ocean

We are on our way to the shore. I saw some large rocks that jutted out of the water. The largest looked like part of it had been weathered away. I think this is because of water, the Universal Solvent, dissolving and eroding the rock face. The rock also has many holes in it, and one whole side looks as if it fell into the sea. The water may have risen into the tiny holes, due to Capillary Action, and frozen, slowly wedging the rock away from the main fraction.

2:00 pmSouth African Mainland

We have reached the shore! I have written out some interesting facts I have learned on my trip.

• The third largest ocean on the earth is the Indian Ocean. The Pacific is the largest.

• We know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the ocean floor.

• During winter the Arctic ocean is almost completely covered in ice.

• There are still thousands of ocean species waiting to be discovered.

• The Pacific Ocean’s name means “peaceful sea”.

RecoursesTitle Picture:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Buzo.jpg/300px-

Buzo.jpg2nd slide background:http://serc.carleton.edu/images/eslabs/drought/water_droplet.jpgInfo:

http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/prevention-wellness/exercise-fitness/sports-safety/scuba-diving-safety.html and http://www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.asp?lang=En&n=BCCCF74B-1 and http://host31.spidergrcom/sml/doc/SML_SCUBA_Equipment_List.pdf and http://www.ehow.com/how-to_4845366_scuba-diver.html http://upload.wikimedia.orgaphics./wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Buzo.jpg/300px-Buzo.jpg