The Canyon Under the Sea

In the morning the sea was smooth like glass. Polly flew out low over Praia do Norte. Her wings almost touched the cold water. The quiet sea showed no sign of giants at all.

Then the water changed color. Near the sand it was bright green. Then, all at once, it turned deep, dark blue. It looked like a line drawn across the sea. Behind her glasses, Polly's eyes went wide. She circled back over the line.

The color was a secret sign. Under the waves, a huge canyon cuts through the bottom of the sea. It is the largest underwater canyon in Europe. It starts almost at the beach and runs far out into the ocean, going down about five thousand meters. It is big enough to hide whole mountains.

The canyon is the engine of the big waves. It carries the power of far storms right up to this beach. That evening Polly saw the first thin lines of swell on the sea. They looked faint and slow, but they were a message.