Water Sports & Beach Activities – B2 English Listening Exercise

9 certificate 10 wooden hut 11 thickness 12 scratches

13 heel 14 hand signals 15 rocks

16 silver fish 17 breathing rate 18 memory stick

Liam: Hi everyone. My name’s Liam, and I’m going to tell you about a fantastic experience I had on holiday last month. I’d always wanted to go scuba diving, but I’d always thought you had to book weeks in advance at a fancy hotel or a massive dive centre in town. However, my friend told me about a local place right on the beach where you could just walk up and get the gear. I was worried they’d ask for my passport as a deposit, but they actually just needed to see my certificate to prove I’d done a basic training course before. I was so relieved I had it in my wallet!

We strolled down the sand to find the rental place. I was still expecting a large concrete building, but instead, we found a small wooden hut right at the edge of the water. It looked basic, but as we walked inside, I saw it had absolutely everything we needed.

The guy fitting our apparatus was incredibly helpful. He handed me a wetsuit to try on. I immediately asked if it was the right size, assuming that was the priority. But he explained that because of the cold currents in the bay, the thickness of the material was actually the most crucial thing to check.

Next came the mask and the heavy air tank. I carefully checked the rubber seal on the mask because I certainly didn’t want it to leak. However, the instructor told me to look for scratches on the glass, as even tiny ones can completely ruin your visibility once you’re underwater.

Then I tried on the flippers. I usually wear a size ten shoe, so I naturally grabbed a pair in that size. But the guy pointed out that the strap around the heel should be adjustable and feel completely secure, which is much more important than just worrying about your standard shoe size.

Before we headed into the waves, we had a quick safety briefing on the sand. I thought he’d talk mostly about breathing techniques, which always made me nervous. But actually, going over the hand signals took up the majority of our time, just so we could communicate effectively down below.

Walking into the water wearing all that heavy apparatus was surprisingly tricky. I almost tripped over some thick seaweed near the shore, but it was the slippery rocks hidden just under the surface that made me completely lose my balance for a second.

Once we descended, it was like entering another world. I was really hoping to spot a sea turtle, or maybe even an octopus hiding in the coral. We didn’t manage to see those, unfortunately, but a massive school of silver fish swam right past us, which was absolutely mesmerising. They moved in total unison.

I was having a brilliant time, though I did face one minor issue. I wasn’t feeling cold at all, but I noticed my breathing rate was much faster than normal because of the sheer excitement, so I had to consciously force myself to relax and take slow, deep breaths.

After about forty minutes, we finally surfaced and returned the heavy gear to the beach. I thought about buying a t-shirt to remember the amazing day, but instead, I decided to pay for a memory stick containing all the underwater photos the instructor had taken of us. It was the perfect souvenir of a brilliant adventure.

9 pine forest 10 heatwave 11 supermarket 12 tranquillity

13 bushes 14 claws 15 barbecue

16 loud bang 17 balcony 18 locked container

Marcus: Hi everyone, my name is Marcus, and I’m here to tell you about the most unforgettable holiday experience of my life. Last summer, my family and I rented a beautiful cabin in Canada. I’d originally hoped to stay somewhere right on the coast, but my parents ended up booking a place tucked away in a thick pine forest. It turned out to be stunning, surrounded by nature and completely isolated.

Normally, you expect that part of the world to be reasonably cool, even in the summer months. I’d packed light jackets and sweaters, assuming we’d have mild afternoons. Instead, we were greeted by an unexpected heatwave that lasted for our entire stay. It was incredibly hot, which made the property’s outdoor swimming pool an absolute lifesaver.

To make the pool days more fun, my younger sister begged my parents for some pool toys. We didn’t go to a fancy sports shop; instead, we just picked up a giant inflatable plastic crocodile from the local supermarket while buying our groceries. It was ridiculous, bright green, and easily big enough for a grown adult to float on.

One evening, just as the sun was starting to set, I decided to take a solitary dip. My parents were inside watching television, and my sister was asleep. Drifting around the pool on the back of that plastic crocodile, I remember thinking how perfect the moment was. Some people might find such silence creepy, but I was just enjoying the total tranquillity of the place. It was deeply relaxing.

Suddenly, I heard a strange noise. At first, I thought it might be a raccoon or maybe a stray dog. I lay perfectly still on my plastic float and listened closely. It wasn’t coming from the driveway or the porch. The sound was definitely a heavy rustling in the bushes right at the edge of the patio.

I squinted into the shadows, expecting a small woodland creature to emerge. But then, a massive brown bear stepped out into the open. I was absolutely paralysed. I’ve seen bears on television, and you always focus on their teeth, but seeing one in real life, I was terrified by the sheer size of its claws. They looked incredibly sharp and powerful.

I barely breathed, hoping it hadn’t noticed me. Interestingly, the bear seemed completely distracted at first. It completely ignored the rubbish bins, which is where you usually expect them to forage. Instead, it was aggressively sniffing around our barbecue which my dad had used to cook burgers a few hours earlier. The smell of the grease must have attracted it.

After investigating the grill, the bear turned its attention to the pool. It stared right at me—or rather, right at the giant green plastic crocodile I was floating on. Before I could process what was happening, the bear waded right into the shallow end and took a swipe at the inflatable. Naturally, the thin plastic couldn’t withstand the bear, and it burst with an incredibly loud bang.

The noise seemed to startle the bear as much as it startled me. It stumbled backward for a second, which gave me exactly the window I needed. I abandoned the sinking remains of the crocodile, scrambled out of the deep end, and sprinted as fast as I could up the wooden stairs to the balcony of the house, slamming the glass door behind me.

The bear quickly lost interest in the deflated toy and wandered off back into the woods. It was a terrifying, yet hilarious story to tell later. The local wildlife officer came by the next day and told us that we were lucky. He explained that if you’re staying in bear territory, you must never leave cooking equipment uncleaned. We learned our lesson and made sure any leftover food was stored safely in a locked container for the rest of the trip!