The Ocean Miracle
"We've got to save them!" Josie exclaimed.
Josie and Megan, who were best friends lived in Hawaii. They always went
to the beach to find the sad sight of dead sea animals with food wrappers
around them, or boat oil filling their feathers.
"But how?" asked Megan.
"Well, it may take quite a bit of work but, we can try," replied
Josie. "You see, we can dive in our new snorkels and wet suits and collect
trash on the beach and in the water."
"Of course!" said Megan, delighted with the idea.
So the next day, they got rubber gloves on and went first to the beach
with their trash bags empty and returned with them full to the brim with
dirty beach trash. Next they would go out into the water and collect
it. They would gather just the trash floating on top, which was mostly
all of it in the water.
At 10:00 the next warm and sunny morning in Hawaii the two girls and Josie's
dad left the shore in his moter boat. Every couple of yards they would
dive into the water and collect trash of the surface or stuck in coral.
From experience of diving they knew some stuff about the water life. There
wasn't as much trash in the water as on the beach or surface of the water.
They were still impressed with how much they had collected.
Megan and Josie had gathered five big bags of trash in only four days!
They had decided to dive under the water for one more day in a place they
hadn't gone yet. It turned out to be lucky in that place because they did
one of the most amazing things in their lives there.
As they were diving together they heard cries.........very distressed cries.
They sounded so alarming! Then they realized, it was a dolphin that needed
help! They swam toward the dolphin's cry to find him tangled up in a six-pack
ring that was attached to the coral.
No wonder he was distressed, He couldn't even swim! Who knows how long
he could have been like this! Josie motioned to Megan to go get the scissors
that they always carried in the boat with them for safety reasons. In the
mean time Josie comforted the dolphin, who was now beginning to have a
little trust in her. In no time at all, Megan came down holding the scissors.
Together they worked at the tough plastic that was tangle in the bumpy
white
coral. At that moment, a massive barracuda slowly swam toward them,
it's big body sliced through the water and it's eyelids blinked lazily.
Both of their eyes widened as they worked hard at the plastic. The big
fish was so close now that Megan, not knowing much about big nasty fish
hit it in the side with her scuba flipper. Now he was quite mad! He looked
at them menacingly then lunged at both of the girls. At that moment the
scissors cut through the plastic and the dolphin freed himself and struck
the barracuda in the head with his whip-like tail. Scared, the barracuda
swam away like a flash of lightning.
Megan and Josie couldn't believe it! Without realizing it they hugged the
dolphin. He didn't move or swim away, he just made a sweet laughing sound
through his blow hole. The girls smiled at each other. He had saved them
in return!
While Megan stayed with the dolphin, Josie went to the surface to tell
her patiently waiting dad all that had just happened. He was as amazed
as they were and very relieved they hadn't gotten hurt by the barracuda.
The girls both said goodbye to the dolphin then they came to the surface.
Their dream had come true! They had always wanted to be with a dolphin
in the water. They were determined to see the dolphin again!
Megan and Josie made a deal with Josie's dad to take them out to the same
place again if they took out the garbage for a week, and he agreed.
The next day when they dove down into the water in the same place, they
took out their new dolphin callers that they got from the nearest aquarium.
Megan pressed a little button and it made a dolphin sound. She pressed
it again and it made a different sound. No dolphin came.
After it seemed like forever, they decided to go back to the boat. Suddenly
they heard that familiar cry-like sound, but it wasn't distressed like
before. They swam desperately toward the sound and there he was, smooth
and flowing moving effortlessly through the water. He came to them and
nuzzled them as if they were his own children.
Megan and Josie swam for what seemed to be ages, until a dolphin called
him from the distance. He didn't respond right away. He did a little dance-like
motion. Then swam away. It must have been a good-bye...and thank you.
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