Under-the-Water Mail

10/10/2020 4:10:00 PM

Vanuatu has an underwater post office. Image: allaboutvanuatu.com

Do you know?

  • There are a total of five underwater mailboxes in the world that are there to take care of the important messages that you might want to send while diving underwater.
  • The ‘Sea Floor’ post office was located in the Bahamas and is considered the world’s first underwater post office that was built in 1939. It was created by US photographer John Ernest Williamson (1881-1966) who was popular as one of the leaders in the art of undersea photography. The Sea Floor post box was closed in 1941.

Let's learn more about one of the above-mentioned post offices! 

FACT: To date, over 38,000 letters from the underwater mailbox in Susami have been sent.

Another Underwater Mailbox Was Built in Susami, Japan to Help Bring Tourists to Their Town. Image: laughingsquid.com

Listen and then choose the correct answers.

  • When did Vanuatu open a post office?
  • How can people go to the post office?

When was Vanuatu's underwater post office opened?

  • In 1993
  • In 2003
  • In 2013

According to the audio, how can people go to the post office?

  • By air
  • By bus
  • By swimming

Complete the text you are listening to by dragging the correct word to each blank.

A mailman puts on his suit. What kind of suit? A  suit! Then he puts on his oxygen tank. He puts on his mask and flippers. What type of mailman is a scuba diver? One that works in a post office under the water!

Vanuatu is an nation. It is in the South Pacific. It opened a post office in 2003. The office is under the water. It is 164 feet out from . It is ten feet under the water. People can buy special postcards. The cards are . People can swim out to the post office. They can mail their cards under the water.

The mailmen like their jobs. They take care of all the cards. They use a special press to the cards. They make sure the cards are . They like helping people send cards from their island nation.

Read and answer the following questions.

Underwater Post Office in Vanuatu. Image: vanuatu.com.au

A mailman puts on his suit. What kind of suit? A scuba-diving suit! Then he puts on his oxygen tank. He puts on his mask and flippers. What type of mailman is a scuba diver? One that works in a post office under the water!

Vanuatu is an island nation. It is in the South Pacific. It opened a post office in 2003. The office is under the water. It is 164 feet out from shore. It is ten feet under the water. People can buy special postcards. The cards are waterproof. People can swim out to the post office. They can mail their cards under the water.

The mailmen like their jobs. They take care of all the cards. They use a special press to cancel the cards. They make sure the cards are delivered. They like helping people send cards from their island nation.

Source: Daily Warm-ups Non-fiction Reading Grade 2

Where is Vanuatu?
  • North Pacific
  • South Pacific
  • North Atlantic
  • South Atlantic

What is the main idea of the passage?

  • The special mailbox in Vanuata
  • Type of clothes a mailman puts on
  • An island nation named Vanuata
  • Why do the mailmen like their jobs?

When you deliver something, you _______

  • open and close something.
  • wash and fold something.
  • buy and eat something.
  • bring and hand over something.

Put the right word in each blank. The sentences are from the text.

  1. A mailman puts on his suit. What kind of suit? A suit!  
  2. Vanuatu is an nation. It is in the South Pacific. 
  3. The office is under the water. It is 164 feet out from . 
  4. People can buy special postcards. The cards are .
  5. The mailmen like their jobs.  They take care of all the cards. They use a special press to the cards. They make sure the cards are . 

Put the right word in each blank. These are new sentences for words in the text. 

  1. Please my baggage to my hotel as soon as you find it.
  2. Breathable, clothing is essential for most outdoor sports.
  3. The bridge links the with the mainland.
  4. The water gets quite shallow towards the .
  5. The company offers as an add-on to the basic holiday price.
  6. stamp is when a postal marking is applied on a postage stamp or postal stationery to deface the stamp and to prevent its reuse.