DeEP DOWN UNDER WATER
ByStephanie Ko
As I stepped out of the car at six in the morning, in front of the Huntington Middle School office, the sun hadn’t risen quite yet, and a crowd of anxious seventh graders gathered in the courtyard with hundreds of luggage suitcases and sleeping bags. On April 17th of 2006, Huntington Middle School’s seventh grade departed from school in the early morning to head out to Catalina Island for a five-day outdoor education trip! After riding in a charter bus for an hour and then transferring onto a boat for another two hours, we finally arrived at our destination. Everyone contributed to unloading the suitcases and soon grabbed a make-it-yourself sandwich to eat for lunch. Afterwards, we were assigned to our group members, cabins, and counselors. Hearing the people in my cabin, my friends and I excitedly unpacked our clothes and got ready for the first activity.
The first few days of the Catalina Island trip were exciting and my cabins members and I were able to complete in many fun-filled activities. We hiked in the cold morning and hung out at the breezy, sunny beach in the afternoon. However, the real fun didn’t start until the third day of the trip.
We woke up at approximately six thirty A.M., and the sun had already risen. We swiftly got dressed and prepared for a full breakfast. As soon as we finished eating a full breakfast, we headed back to our cabins to prepare for our next activity, snorkeling. It took us quite awhile to put on our heavy, stiff snorkeling suits and then began on our journey down to the shore of the waters. We took one step into the water and shrieked at the icy cold water!! When we got in, the floor was covered in tiny, lumpy rocks and as we swam farther away from shore. The ocean floor beneath us became deeper and deeper, and the dark-chocolate colored sand could be seen under us. During our snorkeling session, my friends and I got tangled in the brown, dark sea green, slimy kelp floating about in the salty water. Different plants of all shades and sizes, small varieties of brightly colored fish, and other floppy sea animals swam around and about beneath our bodies. After about an hour and a half of searching for many species of plants and sea animals, it was time to head back. Once we were close to shore, we were all relieved that we could finally feel the ground. The hot rays of the sun hit our bodies, reheating ourselves as if we were in an oven. Although snorkeling wasn’t so much as a “dangerous adventure”, it was still a splendid experience for me, because that was the first time I had snorkeled before in my entire life!
Finally after five days on a quiet, deserted island, the seventh grade class of 2006 at Huntington Middle school arrived back at their hometown. Exhausted from the trip, everyone grabbed their luggage and drove home to rest from such a busy week.
