She wished she had adjusted her mask properly before diving. By the time she noticed, water had already seeped in. "If only I had worn it correctly," she thought. The group moved ahead, exploring the vibrant coral reef. She spotted a sea turtle gliding gently near the reef. Had she tightened her mask, she would have seen it clearly. The divers around her must have noticed how colorful the fish were.
She asked, "Would you rather wear a wetsuit or a drysuit for diving?" He told her he preferred a wetsuit. They explored until sunset, kicking slowly with their flippers. The marine life was breathtaking. If she hadn't rushed, she wouldn’t have missed the best part of the dive. Now she knew—next time, she should check everything before entering the sea. The reef had been full of surprises, but she only saw half of them. "Did you see the turtle?" they asked. She sighed. "I wish I had."
Mastering buoyancy protects reefs
English
We had studied coral reefs for years, but mastering buoyancy was hard. If only I had listened to my buddy earlier—I wouldn’t have kicked the fragile polyps during our last dive. The briefing reminded us: "Protect the ecosystem. Stay close to your buddy. Control your movements gently." Scientists had warned that generations of damage could be lost in seconds.
Had we read the safety notes before the expedition? I wish we had. My buddy asked, "Would you rather fight the current or swim with it?" I was scared, but we stayed calm. Later, he said, "You must have gotten better at buoyancy." The reef was alive with fish, and we protected it—just as we should have from the start.
Lost Reef Colors
English
The marine biologist had studied coral bleaching for years. By noon, she packed her gear and told the divers to follow closely. If only they had left earlier, they would have captured more photos before the reef’s colors faded. The instructor explained the importance of decompression stops—if you dive too deep, you must make safety pauses. Had they noticed the shelf underwater sooner? One diver asked, "Would you rather snorkel along the reef or dive deeper?" Another wondered, "Should we swim closer to the coral shelf?" The biologist replied, "We should have taken the camera—this reef must be documented." By the time they returned to the boat, the sun had already set. She wished they had followed her instructions more carefully. If they had listened, they wouldn’t have missed the best light. The divers realized they should have paid attention—next time, they will have packed better.
Sample flashcards 20
ኮራል ሪፍ→the coral reef
ሪፍ ማሰስ→to explore the reef
ከፀሐይ መጥለቅ በፊት ኮራል ሪፍ እንሰራለን።→We will have explored the coral reef by sunset.
ሕያው የባሕር ሕይወት→the vibrant marine life
ከአውሎ ነፋሱ በፊት ሕያው የባሕር ሕይወት ነበር ያዩት?→Had they seen the vibrant marine life before the storm?
ጥልቅ ተሳፋሪዎቹ እስከ ትናንት ድረስ ሕያው የባሕር ሕይወት አላዩም።→The divers hadn't noticed the vibrant marine life until yesterday.
የባሕር አውራ ጊዜ ማየት→to spot a sea turtle
በጥልቀት ሳለሁ የባሕር አውራ ጊዜ እንደተመለከትኩ ባይ!→I wish I had spotted a sea turtle during my dive.
እሷ �ን የባሕር አውራ ጊዜ እንደተመለከተች ባይ!→If only she had spotted a sea turtle.
ቀለማት ያሉት ዓሣዎች→the colorful fish
ከሪፍ አጠገብ ያሉትን ቀለማት ያሉት ዓሣዎች አየህ?→Did you see the colorful fish near the reef?
እሷ ከሪፍ አጠገብ ያሉትን ቀለማት ያሉት ዓሣዎች አይታለች።→She must have seen the colorful fish near the reef.
የውሃ ልብስ መልበስ→to wear a wetsuit
ለጥልቅ መዋኘት የውሃ ልብሶች ሊለብሱ ነበር።→They should have worn wetsuits for the dive.
የውሃ ልብስ ወይስ ደረቅ �ብሶ መልበስ ትመርጣለህ?→Would you rather wear a wetsuit or a drysuit?
የጥልቅ መዋኘት መስታወት→the diving mask
መስታወቱን ማስተካከል→to adjust the mask
መስታወቱን እስኪያስተካክል ድረስ ቡድኑ ቀድሞ ተሄደ።→By the time he adjusted the mask, the group had moved ahead.
መስታወቱን በትክክል እንደሰራ ባይ!→If only he had adjusted the mask properly.
የስኖርክል ቱቦ→the snorkel tube
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