Chapter 11 Section Eleven

Johnny's first night trip to the coral reef was an experience he will never forget.The tide had receded and there was no moon in the sky, but the sky was cloudless and the stars were shining brightly.That's when Mick and Johnny set off from the beach, carrying waterproof flashlights, harpoons, face masks, gloves and bags -- bags for caught lobsters.Many creatures in coral reefs only come out at night.Mick wants to pick up some rare and beautiful shellfish - shellfish that never come out during the day.He made a fortune selling the shells to collectors on the Australian mainland - an illegal trade in fact, as the island's animals are protected under the Queensland Fisheries Act.

They crunched across the outcropping reef, the halo of their flashlights shining ahead—a tiny circle of light compared to the vastness of the reef in the darkness.It was so dark that the island was no longer visible after walking more than 100 yards.Fortunately, the red signal light on the radio mast became a sign for them to identify the direction, otherwise, they would definitely get lost.It was also impossible for them to rely on the stars to tell their direction, because the stars in the sky had changed their positions and traveled a considerable distance in the process of walking to the edge of the coral reef and returning to the island.

But Johnny had to be so engrossed in picking his way among the fragile corals that he didn't have time to look up at the stars.But once he looked up, a strange phenomenon stunned him. A huge pyramid-shaped light group appeared from the western horizon and flew straight over their heads.The light cluster is not bright, but it is very clear, some people may think it is the lights of a distant city.But within 100 miles to the west there are no cities at all—just the sea. "What the hell is that?" Johnny finally couldn't help asking.Mick had stepped forward as he looked up at the sky; he could not for a moment know what had caused his companion to appear so surprised.

"Oh," he said, "you can see it every night, as long as the sky is clear and the moon is clear. It's something orbiting in outer space, I suppose. Can you see it in your own home?" "I haven't noticed that. But the nights can't be so clear in our place." At this time, the two children stopped, turned off the flashlights, and stared at the wonders of the night sky—few people can appreciate this strange natural phenomenon, because the lights and smog of the city make the light in the night sky dim and weak up.This phenomenon is called "zodiacal light", and it usually appears before sunrise or after sunset.In most of the world, it appears that the light is low or even invisible, so few people notice it.But astronomers have long puzzled over the source of the zodiacal light, until recently — a halo of dust gathered around the sun.

It wasn't long before Mick caught his first crayfish.At the time, the guy was crawling on the bottom of a shallow pool.Mick shined it with a flashlight, and it was at a loss in the bright light. Mick grabbed it obediently and put it in the bag.The number of accomplices in the bag quickly increased.Johnny felt that this method of catching crayfish was a bit wicked, but after eating it, he found it delicious and stopped complaining about crawfish. There are still many people catching fish and crabs on the coral reefs. The beams of torches flicker vertically and horizontally, and thousands of small crabs are crawling under the bright light.As soon as these little crabs sensed Mick and Johnny approaching, they immediately crawled away in a hurry, but some even stopped and waved their crab claws, threatening and challenging the comers.Johnny didn't know how brave these little fellows were, to flaunt themselves so foolishly and so self-indulgent.

There is a kind of gastropod with beautiful shell patterns, smooth and bright, called baby, and there is also a kind of cone snail, which crawls everywhere on the coral.Incredibly, these slow-moving molluscs are also sworn enemies of even smaller animals on corals.Although the world under Johnny's feet is wonderful and lovely, it is a battlefield where the weak and the strong prey on survival.Every moment around him there were fights, ambushes, assassinations and murders, too many to count. At this time, they were approaching the outer edge of the coral reef and were wading in shallow water.The water is full of phosphorescence, stepping on it with one step, the phosphorescence bursts out everywhere, as if crushing the stars in the water.Even if they are standing in the water, a slight movement will make the water splash a little bit of starlight.But if you shine it with a flashlight, you can't see anything.Because the phosphorescent organism is transparent and so small that it cannot be seen with the naked eye.

The further you go, the deeper the water becomes.In the darkness Johnny heard the thunderous crash of the waves crashing against the rocks ahead.He moved forward cautiously.Although he had visited this area no less than ten times during the day, at night under the illumination of the long and narrow torch beam, it became a completely strange world.He knew that at any moment he might fall into the deep pool. Even with the mental preparation, Johnny was still surprised when he found that the coral under his feet suddenly disappeared and he was standing on the edge of a deep pool.The pool is dark and mysterious. Although the water is clear, the light of the flashlight in the pool quickly disappears under the water.

"Crawfish are sure to be caught here," said Mick, and immediately jumped into the water, leaving Johnny alone on the shore.So half a mile from land, the surrounding coral reefs were shrouded in a thick night. Of course, Johnny doesn't have to jump off like Mick; he can wait for Mick on the shore if he likes.This deep pool looks terrible, and it is easy to think of the kind of pool where various monsters hide in fairy tales. Of course, Johnny knew that this kind of thinking was ridiculous. Maybe he had already dived in this deep pool during the day and was familiar with the various creatures in the pool.The truth is, it's not that he's afraid of those little creatures, it's that those little creatures are afraid of him.

He double-checked the flashlight.He dipped the flashlight in the water and turned it back on to make sure everything was working.Then he put on the mask, took a few deep breaths, and jumped into the pool to chase Mick. Underwater, the torch light is very strong, but only a long and narrow strip of coral and sand can be seen, and there is darkness outside the beam of light.This was Johnny's first night dive, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared at first.Everything looked so mysterious and terrifying in the darkness, one couldn't help but look back from time to time to see what was coming up.

After a few minutes, Johnny gradually regained his composure.A few yards ahead, Mick's flashlight flickered on and off, and he felt he wasn't alone underwater.He began to explore caves to find treasures, enjoying himself.Frightened fish scurry in front of him.Once, he saw a beautifully patterned moray eel, which suddenly leaned out of the cave and bit him fiercely, and twisted its snake-like body in the water.Although the moray eel's teeth are sharp, it is not a hindrance to bite.Johnny knew that the moray eel would never attack unless he bothered it—Johnny's first night dive, and he didn't want trouble.

There are not only all kinds of strange creatures in the pool, but also all kinds of strange sounds.Every time Mick's harpoon hit a rock it made a loud bang that sounded much louder than on land, and Johnny could hear the waves crashing against the edge of the reef a few yards away—a sound he could sometimes Feel it from the water. Suddenly, he heard a new sound, like the crackling of small hailstones on the ground; the sound was not loud but very clear, and it seemed to be close at hand.At the same time, he noticed that the light from the flashlight seemed to be covered in a mist. It turned out that thousands of small creatures as small as salads were attracted by the light and struck the lens of the flashlight, just like moths to a flame.Before long, the light of the flashlight was completely blocked.The little creatures that didn't squeeze into the aperture bumped into Johnny, tickling him.They swim so fast that you can't see what it looks like.But, Johnny felt, the creatures were as small as grains of rice and shaped like shrimp.Is the so-called "shrimp" just such a small creature? But these creatures are larger and more active than plankton in the ocean.As we all know, plankton is the main food of most fishes in the sea.Johnny had to turn off the flashlight.Soon the little creatures were scattered, and the strange crackling was no longer heard or felt.As Johnny waited for the "fog" to dissipate, he wondered if the light from the torch would attract such dangerous creatures as sharks?If it was daytime, he would not be afraid, but now it is night, the situation is completely different. Mick surfaced and climbed ashore, and Johnny finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurried up to follow.But this night diving experience was very precious to him, which made him see another magical side of the sea in various poses and with different expressions.The night changes the view of the sky, and also of the underwater world.People never really know the sea if they only explore it during the day! In fact, only a very small part of the sea has daylight, and most of it is in eternal darkness.The sun can only shine a few hundred feet below the sea, and the light is completely absorbed by the sea below.There was no light of any kind in the depths of the sea—only the chill phosphorescence of some hideous creature who lived in a sunless world without seasons. "What did you catch?" Johnny asked Mick when everyone had climbed ashore. "Six crayfish, two snow-spotted babies, three spider shells, and a vortex. This is the first time I have seen it. The harvest is not small. However, there is a large lobster, which I did not catch. I I saw its tentacles, but it retracted itself into the hole as soon as it swam over." They began to walk back, and the red light on the antenna became their beacon of direction.The light seemed miles away in the night, and, as Johnny noticed, the water was much deeper as they waded through it than it had come.Johnny was also a little worried about this.It wouldn't be much fun if the tide caught up with their work and it was this far from shore. It turned out that everything went well, and Mick made a careful plan for the night exploration of the coral reef.Moreover, Mick also wanted to test his new friends.It should be said that Johnny passed the exam with honors. Some people will never dive at night, their nerves just can't take it.Except for the oval light beam of the flashlight, the surroundings are pitch black, and they feel that there are all kinds of inexplicable and terrifying animals and even monsters waiting for them in the darkness.Johnny must have been as terrified as anyone who goes night diving for the first time, but he finally got over his fear. Soon he could leave these safe, secluded pools to swim in the vast sea beyond the coral reefs--where the sea is endless and unobstructed, and the depths of the sea change every moment, Everything will be unpredictable.