Swimming with Crocodiles

Katherine Gorge is stunning.

The sheer rock walls rise from the water, high up into the air.

Boats drift down the gorge and the gentle lapping of the waves against the tin is a peaceful background to the natural beauty. A feeling of calm settles in and my worries drift away. Brilliant blue skies contrast magnificently with the reds of the rock.

It’s hot, though.

After a few hours in the boat and a walk along the gorge, the cool water is very tempting. The guides seem to believe that it’s safe to swim in the gorge. Apparently, salt water crocodiles don’t swim this far up the gorge.

(I don’t see them getting into the water, though!)

With sweat trickling down my back, I give in and wade into the water.

The cold water is shocking against my heated skin.

But.. before long, I’m feeling refreshed and clean again.

Getting back into the boat, we round the next corner of the gorge and there...

before us...

sits a crocodile.

Its bathing in the sunshine.

But... it’s a freshie... a fresh water crocodile.

Even if the crocodile had been lying on the bottom of the gorge, directly under my feet... it would probably have ignored me.

Probably...

Jumping Crocodiles

The water was brown and murky. The banks were overgrown with trees and bushes.

I was on a boat, moving down the Alligator River in the Northern Territory. While the river looked peaceful, beneath the brown surface moved deadly predators.

Crocodiles.

Salties.

They’re such amazing animals. Their huge teeth never stop growing.

Those teeth could rip into my flesh and tear it from my bones. Inside the crocodile’s strong mouth, my bones would snap like twigs.

I can’t help but be fascinated!

Back on the boat, a man holds a long pole and reaches across the water. Dangling from the pole is a slab of beef, tied to string. The beef dips briefly into the water before being yanked back up. The surface of the water suddenly breaks and the snout of a crocodile moves into view.

We’re here to watch the crocodiles leap

from the water to grab the meat.

The crocodile is made to jump. The first crocodile leap is amazing.

The snout and front half of the crocodile jump from the water,

into the air.

But it’s not good enough... the crocodile is not given the food. With an extra wriggle, and a sudden flick of the strong tail, the crocodile leaps further out of the water. Its front and back legs clear the surface. The meat is torn from the pole and the crocodile vanishes back into the water.

It all happens in a moment... a great moment. I can’t help but imagine that I am in a tree overhanging the water, legs folded up, with an angry crocodile leaping up and snatching at my toes.

Imagine...