Coasting Down a Current

Today’s the day! The sun shines through the choppy blue water and bounces off your shell. Brightly colored fish, crabs, and coral surround you.

What are you? You’re a sea turtle! You’re swimming off the coast of Australia in a reef filled with thousands of plants, fish, and animals. But you don’t want to stay here forever. You were born to explore the world’s oceans.

Today you’re starting a journey toward Tasmania. That’s an island off the southern coast of Australia. The water there will be filled with tasty food.

You take in all the colorful sights one last time. Leaving the safe reef and swimming into the open ocean is dangerous. Sharks, killer whales, and grouper fish could be just around the corner, hunting you for breakfast. Gulp! 

You swim as fast as your flippers will go. Finally, you arrive at a long, tube-shaped stream. You’ve made it to the East Australian Current (EAC)!

Brace yourself . . . you’re in for a bumpy ride!

Oceans are home to many wonders. Glow-in-the-dark creatures live in dark trenches on the ocean floor. See-through jellyfish float in crystal clear water near beaches. And powerful currents twist and turn beneath the ocean’s surface.

One way to understand a current is to think about a river. Rivers carry water from one place to another. A current is like a long, winding underwater river.

Some ocean currents are small and close to beaches. Others are much larger and flow deep in the ocean. They can be thousands of miles long!

For sea creatures, currents can be a helpful tool for traveling long distances. Currents help animals migrate, or travel from one place to another. They act like fast-moving highways for fish, stingrays, whales—and sea turtles like you!

You feel the rushing water ahead. You swim closer and closer. Suddenly, you’re sucked in!