Page 38 - (DK) Danger! Open with Extreme Caution!

SAVAGE SEAS

Ahoy there, landlubbers! While you splash around in
your blissful bath, spare a thought for those who spend
their lives on the ocean waves. The sea is full of nasty
surprises: one day it is dead calm, the next it
is a seething cauldron. Mountainous waves can toss
a small craft to and fro or leave a giant tanker high SPF
and dry. If you hear sailors’ tales of Davy Jones’s All at sea 20
locker, icebergs, fog, and fire, take heed! One day Winds and currents are
the powerful elements that are
you, too, could find yourself in stormy waters… scarily in control of a vessel’s
movements on the open sea, with large
waves tossing ships around as if they’re
toys—a nightmare for any seasick-prone
sailor. Without adequate protection and
with the Sun’s rays being reflected by
the water’s surface, exposed skin
can suffer painful sunburn and
the eyes can become
Wild waves bloodshot and swollen.
At sea, there is nowhere
to hide from howling winds
or giant waves that can send
a ship the size of a small town
to the ocean floor in about
12 seconds. In 1995, the luxury liner
Queen Elizabeth II survived being hit
by a rogue wave, said to be
a staggering 10 stories high!

Whale tale
Rocks and underwater reefs
aren’t the only things to steer clear of
at sea. Whales are fishy mammals, so
they need to surface to breathe, which
can bring them into contact with any
vessels floating on the surface. In
1851, a sperm whale smashed
into a whaling ship, sinking it
in minutes.

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