Sirens encounters
New Caledonian lagoon and coral reefs are inhabited by a rich fauna. It is a diver's paradise. Diving is however not without encountering more or less pleasant animals. Stories of shark encounters are many and other fish such as moray or large groupers can make diving a memorable strong event.
The following kinds of encounters are however more rare.
This was North of Noumea, in shallow waters with sea grass on the lagoon bottom. In the middle of it was an isolated coral reef with usually a lot of fish around. Its location was a secret one, such a secret that our solitary spear-gun fisherman was unable to find it again. He had left his fishing companion in a boat anchored nearby where he intially thought that the coral reef would be. His companion was happy to wait. Recently arrived in New-Caledonia this had been his first day of diving and he had had his share of new emotions such as meeting a few nervous sharks. These encounters and swimming a few hours in choppy waters had considerably weakened his initial diving enthusiasm.
Our thus solitary fisherman was swimming in a place close to land and rivers. Water was murky with suspended sediments. He could hardly see through. Murky waters help develop bad feelings such as not being able to see a hungry shark following you. Our solitary diver was starting to think that he was pushing his luck too much. Despite looking everywhere he couldn't still locate the coral reef. More and more frequently he was watching backward to check that no shark had its nose in his flippers. Whenever he raised its head above the water he could also see that he had gone very far from the boat, much too far when one thinks of sharks.
While ruminating his nasty thoughts he suddenly saw a dark big shadow heading straight at him. This is it, he thought and it must be a very big one!. Terrified he bravely pointed his obviously useless speargun towards what was thought to be the attacking fish.
Shark can be fast as lightnings when they feed but this one had a very unusual attack. It was approaching at extremely low speed and thus for quite a while remained hardly visible in the murky water. At last getting closer our man started to see its head through his goggles. A very strange shark head indeed with no teeth but with a big nose or a bent trump. Then the huge body came nearer and the beast was displaying big tits on it. The shark had materialized as a dugong, and in that case a dugong of the fair sex, a large sea cow. This harmless and peaceful sirenian is usually very big and this one must have weighted more than half a ton.
The sea cow appeared happy from her encounter. Joyfully and friendly she decided to slide her big body against the man's. Although less frightened now but fearful of being drowned by the huge mass, he tried to push her away with his spear point. But she wanted to play, and she started putting her big nose in his flippers then sliding up his legs and thighs. Again, and for the same safety reason, our man endeavoured to push her away, to no avail. She was always coming back playful and showing her tits. He was now swimming backward towards the boat, holding its spear in front of him in order to stop the female endeavours. Then she would come at his side and he had to push her again to avoid being drowned under her. Very busy in holding the female cuddle attempts he was insensitive to the sirenian charm which, according to ancient greeks myths, cannot be resisted. Truly this mairmaid was not singing and was looking rather overweight. After a seemingly endless backward swim towards the boat, he reached it at last and leapped quickly onboard. Disappointed and undoubtly vexed, the sea cow dived and vanished.
In some Kanak myths vanished women get changed into sea cows. Was it an old kanak women, several centuries old, who was pursuing this young man to break her loneliness? Was she wanting to tell him about the old times in this island before white people came in, a time when she was still a young pretty woman and not yet a sea cow?
Some years ago in nearby Vanuatu another dugong, a male this time, showed also telling signs of interest in man.
One morning, perhaps moved by memories of a young and pretty sea cow recently encountered, this male dugong grabbed in its flippers a man who had dived to watch him. The sirenian, showing obvious male intents, quickly took the man down to the bottom of the lagoon. This dugong must have been ill informed about the sex of this human being or undifferent to the point. Most of all it was ignoring that skin diving capacities of man are far inferior to the ones of a dugong.
The man was rescued by fellow divers who arrived just in time to deliver him from the dugong vigorous embrace.