For once, we met Pauline on Instagram.
At the end of March 2019, she sent us a photo of herself taken in India, in one of our swimsuits, accompanied by one of those messages that warms our hearts. She tells us that she's gone on a round-the-world trip and in her backpack she's packed 1 of our swimsuits, 1 bra, 1 pair of leggings and 1 oversuit, and that she's really pleased with them.
Over the months that followed, we received photos of her in the Philippines, Bali and New Caledonia, and were increasingly keen for her to tell us a little about herself...
Since she's on the other side of the world, we tend to talk in the evenings or early mornings. And last week she agreed to tell me how she ended up thousands of miles from La Rochelle, where she grew up.
First there was a love story, with her darling Antoine and a shared passion for nature and the ocean.
And then in 2016, with their nursing diplomas in hand, they made the huge decision to sell everything they had in France and move some 17,000 km away from their "home, sweet home", in the direction of New Caledonia!
While many would have chosen Nouméa, the capital, for a soft landing, these two nature lovers decided to go one step further, to the tiny island of Maré, a 40-minute flight from Nouméa...
On Maré, they work as nurses in a small dispensary. Their free time is spent underwater, swimming with turtles, dolphins, sharks, manta rays and even... whales...
While some might find that time is long on an island with no tourist activities, Pauline and Antoine find a way to combine their shared passions of freediving, video and photography, and confess they've never found time long!
To combine business with pleasure, they help identify whales and manta rays by sending their photos to the Noumea research institute.
Whales can be identified by specific markings on their flukes, while manta rays have their own unique markings on their bellies!
This human and professional adventure on the other side of the world opened their minds and gave them a taste for travel. In 2019, they will be traveling through Asia.
"What an incredible richness to be able to discover the different cultures of the world! Sharing moments with local populations, emotions... A unique experience we won't soon forget... I still remember the day we made the decision to leave... it's been 4 years now and I can say we're living the most beautiful experience of our lives!"
Pauline and Antoine change their plans as opportunities arise.
At present, they are in New Zealand on a 1-year working vacation visa. However, their love of the ocean being ever stronger, they have just opted for a short 3-month return to New Caledonia to take advantage of the whale season...
When we asked Pauline what her fondest underwater memory was, she told us about her encounter with a whale that had spent the whole day right in front of their house. It was a magical moment of complicity between our pretty mermaid and this gigantic cetacean.
Many thanks to both of them for their sublime photos, and we wish them all the best for their encounters, both on land and in the ocean.
If you're looking for them, they're certainly underwater, but you can also find them here:
Perrine
