The creature from the Black Lagoon is thought to be one of the most iconic (for better or worse) horror movie monsters of the 20th century. And now a creature in Cakaudrove Fiji is apparently building up quite a reputation for itself as the real creature from the black lagoon. Cakaudrove is a sparsely populated region comprised largely of farmers and fishermen, but it seems it may also have something else hiding just beneath the surface.
It’s said to swim with incredible dexterity, and does not appear to fear humans at all, but rather approaches and even chases them away. One villager, Ateca Disukavanua reported to the news site Fiji Times that she had been chased by the monster while fishing in her village nearby a dead mangrove tree in the lagoon. As she was fishing in the waters just east of her village, she was waist deep in murky water when she first spotted the creature approaching her. Fearing for her life as the creature lunged at her, she jumped out of the water to refuge in the hopes of escaping an attack by the monster. The creature has been described as being three feet long and having features similar to a turtle, but with flippers and a massive mouth that looked to Disukavana quite “strange.”
Long after she sought refuge on a tree stump jutting up from the water she continued to watch as the creature stalked her trapped there. Hours passed before the tide lowered and she was able to make her escape.
Similar creatures have been reported in Fiji, but the incident of this attack was unique in that the creature actually pursued the woman and stayed long after she was out of the water. What would have happened if she had not sought the safety of the tree stump is unknown, but many villagers upon hearing about the incident were horrified and armed themselves in an attempt to flush out and kill the cryptid.
Until it has been hunted down, the villagers have declared they will not be returning to the water to fish. The strange creature has not been seen since the first incident, but local police have been informed. Still, it’s not certain how much help they can be in the vast reaches of the lagoon, particularly if the creature finds its way back to the ocean.
Could this creature have simply been a conventional fish that was somehow mutated or suffered from a form of birth defect? It doesn’t seem likely, as nothing even approaching the description given by Disukavana is known to exist in the lagoon of Caukadrove. Of course the key term here is “known.” With an entire tribe of people only recently discovered in South America, it’s clear that there is no end to the vast diversity of life throughout the world and that there may indeed exist a creature that has never before been encountered in the lagoon. But if it has gone this long without being encountered, then why is it so aggressive? One would think that a creature that has gone unnoticed would do so because it is incredibly shy of human contact. If the Caukadrove monster is truly capable of chasing humans away, then it seems likely that there would exist local stories of its existence.