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The dugong is an endangered marine mammal. It is so rare that some even doubt its existence, so in Mayotte, divers regularly go in search of it.
In Mayotte, good morning, divers are preparing to enter the water in an area they have been visiting for years. However, they never saw the shadow of a dugong, an endangered marine mammal. “I did 300 – 400 dives and never saw the dugong”, confirms a diver. Fewer than ten dugongs live in this 1000 km² lagoon, so you might as well look for a needle in a lump of hay.
After an hour of research, the divers returned empty-handed. In Mayotte, even the inhabitants doubt its existence. “Even if a lot of people think that it doesn’t exist, there is really a population of dugongs in Mayotte”, assures Daniel Budet, manager of a diving club. For lack of study, it is difficult to estimate. “We were able to follow him for twenty minutes: it was extraordinary”, tells Pierre, a lucky one, who was able to immortalize this meeting.