There are many moments in your life where you reach a cross roads, one that defines who you are. Swimming with crocodiles in the wild has got to be one of them. I’ve never shy’d away from danger, of all kinds. But when the guide stopped mid sentence and said “Crocodile over there, get ready” you soon know what your made of. With nothing to defend yourself, you take the camera and slip into the water, knowing there’s an apex predator waiting. More precisely there’s around 350 of them. As your legs and then waist slip into the water, you can’t help but have flashes of a JAWS like scenario. What if there’s a croc under the boat, under the shack. But you have to focus on what you’re doing. Swimming with crocodiles isn’t something that you should do distracted.
Why go swimming with crocodiles ?
It’s a fair question. I could give a cavalier answer like “why not?” but in truth, the reason is far more detailed. And the reason most would not, is far stronger than my”why not”. Their “why” is pretty understandable.
Though it’s probably not for everyone, swimming with crocodiles was the greatest adventure I have ever had. It was something I will never forget. It was an adventure I didn’t take lightly. I’d thought about it long and hard over many years ever since I realised I was being hunted by one. It’s quite a humbling feeling when you realise the planets top predator is hunting you. Vulnerability is an understatement, if a croc decided to take you, it would be quite a problematic situation. But it was this moment that began a much deeper interest in them. I soon realised something… there’s a lot more to them that tail and teeth.
I’m being hunted
I was walking along the bank of the Mara river while on safari in Kenya and Tanzania. I had left the safety of the lodge and gone for a walk to checkout the area. I’d hoped to see the masses of hippos in the river and other life that might be a long the waters edge. Of course, there could be Lions or Leopards too, a Leopard had killed a man working at the lodge a few days before. But lighting doesn’t strike twice, right? Maybe it does, either way, I was going for that walk.
Eyes peeled for all kinds of wildlife I soon noticed a large Nile Crocodile in the water along side me. I was up on the bank, elevated, but it was close. Amazed I stood and watched it, holding it’s position in the water effortlessly, that big tail hypnotically moving from side to side. I took some pics on my little average camera, a time before I could afford a good one. Having spent enough time marvelling at it, I carried on up the bank. As i neared the bend in the river where I hoped to find the masses of Hippo, I was surprised to see another large croc. It was big, around 5m (17ft), facing up river and holding it’s position in the water effortlessly. Just like the one… a moment ago.
Realising what was happening I walked back a few paces, the croc turned and followed. I continued and so did he. I changed direction and went back up along the river, so did he. Suddenly the steep edge of the bank I was walking along seemed all the more precarious.
Unforgettable moments
Knowing you’re being hunted by something capable of killing you is unforgettable, but so is the moment that a decade later that you get into the water they are the masters of. The water up to my shoulders a slowly lower myself beneath the surface, camera at the ready, looking around keeping aware of my surroundings at all times. It wasn’t long before a crocodile pushed through the shadows and came into view.
The crocodile didn’t come slowly, nor fast. It wasn’t aggressive, but neither was it cautious, crocodiles it turns out are pretty confident. Of course not all are but this one was confident, interested and keen to see what was in the water. This was a truly unforgettable moment, I won’t pretend I felt no fear. There was a 5m crocodile coming towards me. He moved around me and settled in front of me, as if he was thinking. Suddenly fear was gone and simply I was at peace. The more time I spent with him, the more calming it became.
The crocodile would go sometimes test you, it would come forward to see what you’d do. Would you run, would you become aggressive or hold your ground. Remaining calm I’d hold position, small adjustments left or right so, like a game of underwater chess. But your opponent can kill you.
Misunderstood
Crocodiles are very much misunderstood. They absolutely can kill people and do, but they have a reputation of being merciless monsters and that is entirely unfounded. In the animal kingdom there are those that eat plants and those that eat those that eat plants. It’s the simple circle of life and crocodiles site at the top of it. Apex predators they are unbelievable at what they do, the perfect hunter. However that’s not all they are. Like people pretend sharks are monsters whilst entirely ignoring the data that shows you’re far more likely to be killed by a vending machine, or bitten by a New Yorker than a shark, people do the same with crocodiles.
They are hyper intelligent and capable of a variety of behaviours and seem to have a broad emotional range. Like all animals they aren’t always hungry and even when they are the will make choices about what is a good choice for food and will avoid conflict that puts them at risk.
From all the crocodile species and individual crocodiles I have come into contact with, my experience tells me there is much more to them than the myth of the monster.
The first time i slipped into the water, knowing there was a croc nearby I was alone. I didn’t know exactly where it was but locals had said there was one. There was even a vaguely threatening sign that said “Caution Crocodiles”. I’d dived down and looked under the rocks but to no avail. After two and a half hours of searching the camera batteries were running low and it was time to head back. As I swam back, frustrated and a little deflated I was looking back at my fins moving through the water and my shadow on the bottom. But as I turned to look where I was going
I found it to be a spiritual experience, one I can’t explain. Looking into the eyes of a top predator as it moves around you, working you out and then accepting you… there’s really nothing like it.
Swimming with Crocodiles
For some it will be hard to understand, but for others this will I’m sure offer a moment of excitement, a sense of adventure. On this adventure I took my SONY A7S ii and GoPro Hero 11. Managing to take some interesting pics I was happy when SONY asked me to do an interview to talk about how and why I used the SONY Alpha system to capture this amazing adventure.