While snorkeling we saw many beautiful fish. Fish are cold blooded animals. Fish also have gills to breath underwater instead of lungs. They have four pairs of gills! A lot of the fish like to swim where there are rocks and coral. The photo below shows the most common fish on the bay. My favorite fish are the colorful yellow fish because yellow is my favorite color.
We also saw big Green Sea Turtles that floated right next to our feet. Green Sea Turtles are cold blooded (get their body heat from the environment) reptiles. Green sea turtles like to lie in the sun and you can see them on the shore. Sea turtles protect themselves from predators with their bony shell. Turtles are very heavy and can weigh up to 500 pounds! At first I was scared that the turtles were going to bite me, but then I realized that they don't bite, and I took the photos standing right next to them. Sometimes I think that the people with the black swimsuits look like turtles!
When snorkling, we also saw a lot of pretty coral. Coral reef is a type of underwater city shaped by limestone. Reef limestone has large framework of skeletons from animals called corals. Coral is very important to the underwater animals because they hide behind it and eat food from it. It could take a year for coral to grow less then five inches per year, so don't step on it. In conclusion, snorkeling is a great way to explore.
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| Green sea turtle taking a breath |
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| Green Sea Turtle |
Have you ever gone snorkeling?
Did you see fish, turtles, and coral?
Have you ever done a step up to writing post?
Dear Miriam,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, I love it!!!
I am glad you enjoying your trip and explore the ocean.
I also like to watch the sunset, it's very unique in Hawaii and I think it's the best sunset you can see anywhere in the world.
Can wait to see you all and hug you,
Love you,
Grandma Tanya and Grandpa Eugene
Miriam, your pictures are beautiful! Those turtles look huge! They look as big as you! Were they scary? I bet the water is warm there, like a bathtub. I'm glad you like snorkeling, it feels strange to breathe under the water, doesn't it? I can't wait to see you when you get back! Tell everyone I said hello!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Auntie Elana
Dear Miriam,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post and I loved the fact you went snorkeling with your whole family.
What a beautiful variety of different types of fish you saw.
I would have loved seeing the sea turtles.
BB's dad goes snorkeling a lot in the sea waters near where we live.
He really enjlys this past time.
He oftens says it is like a huge rainbow under the sea.
Thanks again for a lovely refreshing post.
From your bloggging buddy.
AA.
Aloha Miriam,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Kahalu'u Bay is the very best place to snorkle. Since the water is so clear I think many people are surprised at how many fish and sea creatures they see. I am so glad you enjoyed your time in my corner of the world.
Mrs. Jacobs
Aloha Miriam,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you enjoyed smorkling in Kahalu'u Bay. Since the water is so clear most people are amazed at how many sea creatures they can view. I am so happy you enjoyed your visit to my corner of the world.
Mrs. Jacobs
Dear Miriam,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you are sharing your vacation adventures on your blog! Using the "Step Up To Writing" format is a great way to explain the beautiful things you saw while snorkeling. We are also learning how to write expository paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting details. I will share this post with my students as a great example.
I did a lot of snorkeling when I lived in Belize. They have the longest barrier reef in the western hemisphere and the second longest in the world! (I bet you know where the longest barrier reef is.)
I saw tons of dazzling fish while snorkeling! It is an amazing experience to float above schools of brilliant fish, branching coral, and white sand. I did see a green turtle once when I was snorkeling. I also saw stingrays, nurse sharks, barracuda, moray eels, and cuttlefish.
One time I was snorkeling by myself on a tiny island along the edge of the reef, and I went out to where the reef ended. The coral dropped off into endless, deep blue and I was on the edge of the open ocean! It was pretty incredible and also a little spooky. I could feel the colder currents coming up from the bottomless blue. I swam along the edge of the reef for a while until I saw a black-tipped reef shark patrolling the open water. That really spooked me so I turned around and just stayed over the shallow reef. It was a great experience that I'll never forget.
I'm sure you will also remember your Hawaii trip for a long time. Thanks for sharing it with us!
From,
Mr. Salsich
@Mr. Salsich,
ReplyDeleteExcellent comment! You are very brave to be snorkling with stingrays, sharks, and barracuda, moray eels. Where you scared that a shark or a barracuda would bite you?
From,
♥Miriam♥
P.S. My mom thinks that snorkling is a buddy sport and that it's not safe to go to the midle of the ocean all by yourself.
@Mrs. Jacobs,
ReplyDeleteThank you for leaving me a comment. I hope you visit again because I will be having some other posts on Hawaii.
I was very interested to know if you are on the Big Island? Do you have also have your own blog? What is the url address?
From,
Miriam
Aloha Miriam,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you are enjoying Hawaii. I live on the island of Oahu in an area called Aiea. We are located up in the hills above Pearl Harbor.
I have visited the island of Hawaii but my favorite island is Maui. I enjoy the blueness of the water and the mountains.
No, I do not currently have a blog though many friends say I should. If I ever do begin I will let you know.
Mahalo nui loa,
Mrs. Jacobs
Dear Miriam,
ReplyDeleteI never snorkeled before, but it looks like lots of fun!
It is great that you stepped up to write, because Mrs.Yollis is looking forward to it.
The fish that you saw seem like they don't exist, becuase they look so magnificent.
From,
Nic*las
Dear Miriam,
ReplyDeleteThanks for replying to my comment! Yes, I did feel a little scared at first when I saw barracudas and nurse sharks, but my local friends told me how to act around them so they didn't get alarmed. Also, nurse sharks are very gentle - they just scoop food from the sand kind of like a sting ray.
Your mom is definitely right, snorkeling is a buddy sport! When I went out by the edge of the reef my friends were back on the island. I was in my twenties, and when I was that age I didn't always think about the risks. Seeing the reef shark made me realize that I was probably in a place I shouldn't have been. Now, I'm much more cautious!
From,
Mr. Salsich