Amipuru

One day when Amipuru of Wagedagam was fishing near Paidai and Tipait, he saw a large pelican swimming in the sea between the islands of Widul and Pururai. He thought it would be a good pet for his children so he decided to catch it.

He broke off mangrove branches and used them as camouflage as he waded towards the pelican. As he reached the pelican however it took flight and rose out of the water. Amipuru managed to grab one of it's legs with one hand and he held on tight.

The pelican flew into the air and then across Mabuiag and out over the passage between Mabuiag and Kuiku Pad (Jervis Reef). All this time Amipuru was holding on for dear life waiting for the pelican to fly over soft ground before he let go.

Eventually it flew over mud flat near Wagedagam so Amipuru decided to let go, falling like a stone into the mud where he sank up to his neck. Seeing him fall the people of Wagedagam tried to dig him out but this was useless. The faster they dug the faster the sea water gushed in. 'We can't do anything for him', they said, so it was decided that he would be beheaded. Upon doing this his wife and children wept.

Today, the hole can still be seen Mabuiag, just offshore. The removal of the mud by the people from Wagedagam to save Amipuru is said to have formed the lagoon, Wazegna Dan.