Part 2

If doing Scubazoo’s first HD shoot was not pressure enough, how about doing it with a 14 foot salt water crocodile? The Jeff Corwin shoot had plenty of interesting creatures but the hi-light was without doubt an encounter with a saltwater crocodile. Trapped within an enclosed swimming area in a nearby resort, the situation created a unique opportunity. Two shark cages were constructed in record time and placed in the enclosure, ready for presenter Jeff Corwin and myself to get up-close and personal with the croc. The logistics behind this were huge - topside crew to film the encounter from above, croc wranglers to help control the animal, rangers from Sabah Wildlife Dept. on standby, and half of Scubazoo on hand including Simon Christopher, Simon Enderby, Matt Oldfield, Roger Munns, Ian Jennings and fellow HD cameraman/technician Dennis Coffman.

At first Jeff and myself climbed into the same cage and waited for the croc to move round the enclosure and pass by. From the surface the croc looked quite impressive, however it was not until we got underwater that we realised just how big this animal was.  And to make things worse, all 14 foot of this prehistoric monster promptly headed our way and pushed its head straight through the gap in the shark cage! Being so close to this impressive creature was an incredible experience.

The next objective was to get shots from the other cage as the croc passed Jeff. Simon Enderby and myself climbed down into the second cage and waited for the croc to pass between Jeff and ourselves. The croc performed perfectly for the camera and made several passes between the cages, however shooting through the gap in the shark cage proved to be extremely difficult and we failed to shoot any clean shots free of the cage bars in the frame. To complicate things the tide was dropping and the visibility was rapidly getting worse – time for a rethink.

Discussions over dinner that evening were all about how to achieve clean shots without seeing parts of the cage in the frame. And the next morning, with perfect conditions and fresh cameramen, there was no doubt what had to be done – I would have to film the croc from outside the safety of the cage if we were to get those money shots. Emergency plans were set in place and we jumped in, with Jeff in his cage and myself outside but close enough to shelter in case it was needed. The croc came around the enclosure towards the cage and then, as I moved into position to film, the animal swam straight towards me and over the top! With nothing between this immense creature and myself, the adrenaline was racing at max speed and even though we managed to repeat this a few times, my heartbeat never slowed down!

We managed different angles and in different conditions, and after getting enough footage necessary for the sequence it was decided that Matt Oldfield should get in for some publicity shots with the stills kit. We sat on the bottom and waited for the croc to move towards the cage but nothing happened.  When the croc did not materialise, I looked over to Matt only to see him pushing the animal away with his camera housing! The croc then swam towards me and over the top before disappearing to the other side of the enclosure. These close encounters will remain some of the most exciting experiences of my diving career.