A little further out into the lagoon we pass by an outrigger sailing canoe. We stop by next to it as its captain was getting ready to set up his rig. We can sense a mutual curiosity. He introduce himself as Yobu, he is proud of his Te wa (the local name of the boat) that he built himself. “I get my boat out pretty much every morning to get the Papio that are all over the lagoon. They make Christmas Island famous to fishermen all over the world” he says. “We came to surf some waves on those boards” replies Carine while showing her SUP, “and to discover Christmas Island and its people. This lagoon is amazing, looks like a great place to fish”. “Yes…but the fishing used to be better. I used to fish on the other side, in the open ocean. I could get up to 20 tuna within a 2 mile stretch along the reef, in front of the village. Since a fishing permit has been issued to a Spanish fleet 6 years ago, they’re all gone. I don’t even try anymore. You’ll see; the mother ship is anchored year round, behind the break where you can surf. It makes me sad to see that ship there because it makes our lives harder here on the island. Food is hard to get you know, the ocean is the main provider and on top of that this fleet is killing everything with its huge nets”.
