We played with the dolphins through the channel, from the depths to leaping across the surface. I laughed for the sheer joy of it, after the caution and control of life on land.
I dove through the remains of vessels in the depths. One ship rested on the bottom with its masts upright, as if it might sail on the surface instead of the sea floor. Once the craft of a lobster fisherman, the lobsters had reclaimed the vessel in a peculiar revenge.
The tuna were no longer in the channel. A dolphin spotted them in the passage to the north. We proceeded up the passage between the islands in the Wallabi Group, searching for the elusive fish. We could have called them to us, but my pleasure was in the chase and the swim.
Sea lions slept on shore and sharks swam through the passage. Tiger sharks, a hammerhead, some smaller whalers and a wobbegong passed us, but none had the temerity to attempt a taste of us.
I watched the sharks, wondering if they had taken the tuna, when Maria called my name.
Pointing through the coral, she looked puzzled. “What is that? It looks like a human artefact, but it has been in the water a long time.”
We darted between the coral gardens, eerie in the light of the full moon in the sky above. Between the coral, we came upon a corroded, coral-encrusted cannon. Nearby was a large hole carved in the reef, where something had evidently been removed.
“I think it is from one of the old shipwrecks, before there were humans on these islands. The humans removed this shipwreck to display on land.”
Maria touched the corroded metal of the cannon. “There are more of these, further to the south. Do the humans not know of them all?”
I reflected before I responded. “Perhaps they do not. The humans fear the waves near the reefs. The pull of the water’s power, the surge in the swell during a storm, the feeling of fresh water flowing across our skin…these are pleasures for our people alone. The humans know little of such things.” My sigh sent a stream of bubbles to the surface.
Maria gave a bubbly snort. “People who cannot revel in the simple pleasures of life? I pity the humans more than ever.”
One of the dolphins called to us over our conversation. She said they would come for us the following evening, once the sun had set.
We bade the dolphins farewell, promising to return the following night to search for the school tuna. We headed quickly in the direction of the Siren.