ASL: Water, Ocean, Fish, Shark, Coral Reef

Today we're going to be learning how to sign water, ocean, fish, shark, and coral reef!

WATER

Handshape: "W" handshape (index, middle, and ring fingers up, thumb tucked, pinky down).

Location: Near the mouth/chin area.

Movement: Tap the index finger of the "W" handshape on your chin or side of your mouth 2–3 times.

Tip: Think of “water” touching your lips.

OCEAN

Two-part sign: Combine WATER + WAVE.

Sign WATER (as above).

Then, immediately move both open "5" hands (palms facing down) in a side-to-side wavy motion to represent waves rolling.

FISH

Handshape: Flat hand (like a "B" handshape).

Movement: Place your dominant hand sideways in front of you (palm facing left or right, fingers pointing forward).

Motion: Wiggle your hand back and forth at the wrist like a fish swimming.

Tip: It’s like your hand is a fish gliding through the water.

SHARK

Handshape: Flat hand ("B" handshape).

Movement: Place your flat hand vertically on your forehead, fingers pointing up, as if your hand is the shark fin.

Motion: Move your hand slightly forward in a small glide, representing a shark swimming with its dorsal fin showing.

Tip: Think of the fin cutting through the water.

CORAL REEF

(There’s no single standard sign — it’s a compound concept.)

CORAL: Often fingerspelled C-O-R-A-L or described using FISH + ROCK/PLANT depending on context.

Alternative descriptive sign: Use FISH, then show both hands (5-handshapes) wiggling fingers to mimic coral shapes.

REEF: Sign ROCK (dominant fist taps on the back of the non-dominant fist) to indicate a reef or structure.

Combined: You could sign FISH + ROCK + WIGGLING HANDS to describe “coral reef,” or simply fingerspell C-O-R-A-L R-E-E-F if clarity is needed.