This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by @marc-allaria: LE VOYAGE D'AURORA - COCO KEELINGS - STOP#10 - Paradis aquatique

^{As my primary language is not English, there are probably some mistakes in my translation.}

Remember that the person who speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (@vcelier), but Marc Allaria (@marc-allaria), a French guy.

THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - COCO KEELINGS ISLAND
Part 4: Aquatic paradise

In the previous episode, I insisted on the inevitable presence of sharks, in, and around the atoll. But sometimes these depart, as if they were disturbed, and then appear animals that I find among the most captivating underwater. Manta rays come as intrigued by the unusual presence of a diver. My curiosity is now only about Manta rays. It will take a little patience, time to let them come, and after these few rounds of confidence, then start the most sumptuous ballets. It is difficult to describe such a scenario without leaving your pen inexorably skipping to sentences brimming with poetry. "In life" will be the only phrase I will remember. Magic moments like these only happen once in a lifetime, but here they will start again tomorrow, and after tomorrow again ...

The fireworks are not finished. The final bouquet will be brought from the hands of an imposing dugong. Coming from the depths and in a hurry to join his table more inside the lagoon, he will however take the time to discover timidly the strange visitor in a diving suit. The meetings are even more beautiful when they are not planned.

Returning to my anchorage at Direction Island, I am interrupted while cleaning my gear with a few fins flying around Aurora. A passage of dolphins, nothing very surprising in these places. Except that the four regulars of the corner are mixed very easily with the humans and share with them bathing and water games. The jumps begin, then follow the underwater acrobatics and the laughing glances. The movements are incredibly accurate, and their appetite for the game is undeniable. I find them stopping in turn in front of one of the few coral areas of the beach. Out of curiosity, I take my turn in the queue and go down to look where the curiosity of the dolphins seems to be attracted. A poor trevally totally terrorized is hidden under a rock hoping that this game whose outcome seems cruel to her, ends quickly. I would never know the end!

A paradise island, certainly. But if the postcard clichés exhibiting coconut palms, perfect beaches, and islands of white sand, have here such depth of soul, it is certainly because they are combined with a virtual absence of human attendance. Here, Man does not live faster than he should. He savored. He preserves. Jacques Brel would have said, "Now is the time to live, now is the time to love."

(to be continued)

* * * * *

01: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: Funny situations ...! at sea..., by @marc-allaria
02: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: The fishing file ...!, by @marc-allaria
03: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: The Cagayan Islands, by @marc-allaria
04: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: Seaweed...!, by @marc-allaria
05: DISCOVER THE PHILIPPINES: The Bacuit Archipelago, by @marc-allaria
06: BORNEO: Kudat and the technical stop, by @marc-allaria
07: BORNEO: Kinabatangan River, by @marc-allaria
08: BORNEO: Maratua, part 1, by @marc-allaria
09: BORNEO: Big Fish School, by @marc-allaria
10: BORNEO: Diving in Maratua ...!, by @marc-allaria
11: BORNEO: The jellyfish lake ...!, by @marc-allaria
12: SULAWESI: Sewia...!, by @marc-allaria
13: SULAWESI: Story of a dive at Pasoso Island...!, by @marc-allaria
14: SULAWESI: Tanjun Kai...!, by @marc-allaria
15: SULAWESI: Kopoposang...!, by @marc-allaria
16: SULAWESI: PA-RA-SI-TE...!, by @marc-allaria
17: SULAWESI: BIRA...!, by @marc-allariaThe long mishap - Part 1
18: SULAWESI: Diving under my house ...!
19: SULAWESI: Stright ahead ...!, by @marc-allaria
20: The long mishap - Part 1, by @marc-allaria
21: The long mishap - Part 2, by @marc-allaria
22: The long mishap - Part 3, by @marc-allaria
23: The long mishap - Part 4, by @marc-allaria
24: The long mishap - Part 5, by @marc-allaria
25: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 1, by @marc-allaria
26: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 2, by @marc-allaria
27: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 3, by @marc-allaria
28: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 4: Crabs, by @marc-allaria
29: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 5, by @marc-allaria
30: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - Christmas Island - Part 6: Land of asylum, by @marc-allaria
31: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - COCO KEELINGS ISLAND, Introduction, by @marc-allaria
32: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - COCO KEELINGS ISLANDS, Part 2, by @marc-allaria
33: THE JOURNEY OF AURORA - COCO KEELINGS ISLANDS, Part 3, by @marc-allaria