"Two hundred and fifty million years of evolution have produced this, a giant super efficient reptile" "It's the Nile crocodile..." "Until recently diving with these dangerous creatures was considered impossible, but as with any predator, it's how you engage them that's the key, and I'm about to put my belief to the test." "I've decided to take a calculated risk." "I'm going to attempt what no one has done before." "I want to dive with feasting crocodiles." "Can I approach them without being attacked?" "Will they see me as a fellow predator, or as potential prey?" "Can I survive within their feeding hierarchy?" "I'm taking a big risk, and I think people understand that, and I don't think it would reflect poorly on a crocodile if it eats me, people expect that to happen." "My name is Roger Horrocks." "For the last 5 years I've travelled Botswana's Okavango Delta... finding out more about these prehistoric predators." "I've joined them underwater... and discovered that they are not all just simplistic ruthless killers." "They are capable of an unsuspected tolerance." "Now I want to test their ultimate acceptance by diving while they are feeding." "The idea of diving with feeding crocs first crept into my mind... when I travelled from my African home to Costa Rica in central America." "I'd gone there to find Chito Graham, the extraordinary crocodile shaman of Limon." "Twenty-three years ago, Chito found a sick and dying crocodile... that had been shot by farmers." "Slowly he nurtured this animal back to health, taking many years to slowly gain the animal's trust." "He showed me something I never thought possible with crocodiles." "Chito is the only person in the world to get in the water... and interact with a giant croc." "He's even developed a game with the crocodile... that mimics some of its instinctive killing techniques, like the death roll." "When I saw this level of acceptance by this animal, this unexpected intelligence," "I started to think that if I behaved in the right way," "I too could have a chance of being accepted in the water." "As I watched this man and this predator together, it forced me to rethink crocodile nature, and the seed was sown to set out on my quest, to attempt a dive, many think will be suicide." "What particularly intrigued me was that somehow... the croc can tell the difference between the food Chito gives him... and Chito's hands." "But I also know that crocs can feel if I'm full of fear or filled with confidence." "To come out of this alive, I will need to prepare my mind very carefully." "Chito has worked at putting fear behind him, and this croc's ability to pick up on his confidence... just strengthened my desire to attempt to dive with feeding crocs." "Every winter I return to my old diving ground, the Okavango delta in Southern Africa." "In this swamp live some of the biggest... and most aggressive crocodiles in the world." "It's June when the great flood brings the clear water." "All my primal senses start to come alive as I prepare my mind and my body." "Over and over, I'm at the feast, calm, unharmed." "Even though I've worked with these animals for 5 years," "I'm still very wary." "Some of these beasts have eaten many people... and are a huge threat to livestock." "My theory is that reptiles when feeding on mass... drop their territorial aggression to avoid injuring each other." "This huge male is very aggressive and not an ideal diving partner." "But I'm hoping that his behaviour may shift... when he is with multiple animals and can smell food." "To really understand the dynamics... and to see the way these animals interact, you really need to go underwater, that's really where it's all happening, certainly up here in the panhandle, you've got these massive big river systems," "you've got these different areas of hard land, soft land, papyrus... and of course these cave systems that these animals create... and of course the current creates as it moves through it." "And that's the fascinating part for me that remains pretty much unexplored." "Greg Thomson is the top guide in this area." "He has grown up with crocodiles, seen several animals and people being taken." "I rely on his judgment to keep me alive, but this is new territory, nobody has tried to dive with feeding crocs." "How do you think those crocodiles will respond, given that they probably have to defend that prey... against other crocodiles that you pick up the scent." "That, I think, is going to be one of the unknowns, to be honest I'm not 100 percent certain how they are going to react... with something that is threatening their food." "Certainly with other predators, they are very defensive around their food, around their prey species, something they've killed." "And crocodiles might very well be the same." "Certainly a big aggressive male, at this time of the year, if he has got a meal, if he's hungry," "I do believe he is going defend it, be aggressive to anything that comes into that area, something he thinks might be stealing his food." "As human beings, we have evolved together with crocodiles, we've evolved as one of their prey species." "Human beings tend to settle near water, they need water for drinking, for washing, for all their sort of daily activities." "So you are always going to have people close to their environment." "And that's why I think crocodiles over time have learnt that people are food." "They're in there sort of size range, they're in their sort of strike zone if you will," "very much a part of a crocodile's diet." "He sees people as something that he can eat." "Greg takes me to a nearby village close to the river." "Here two women, a mother and daughter... had a terrifying encounter with a crocodile... while collecting food and building material for their huts." "Retsee Sachuma lost both her arms." "She has a young child to look after." "Mother and daughter now live by weaving baskets... with only one arm between them, somehow surviving against impossible odds." "The croc that attacked them was only about 2 meters long but very powerful." "The women's scars are a constant reminder to the rest of the village... of the crocodile threat." "Their horrific story haunts me." "Despite their loss, they have no wish to kill the croc, somehow they accept this tragedy as part of living here." "I wonder if only certain crocs attack people." "I know that some crocs are more aggressive than others, their personalities differ quite considerably." "There was only one way to find out." "I go in search of the croc that attacked the women." "It's a short boat ride to the area where the women were attacked." "Crocs are territorial and so very likely to be in the same place." "The croc would have probably watched the women... for a few days before planning his attack, this is their nature." "As I kit up, I have this strange feeling going in the water with this croc." "I feel so sorry for the women... and yet no ill feeling towards this animal... which was just responding to the splashes and noises of its prey, eighty-five million years of instinct." "I always get underwater as quickly as possible... and make minimum splashes on the surface." "Fish are the main diet of crocodiles." "They hunt them by letting them come close and grab them in a flash of speed." "They hunt mostly at night in pitch darkness, using a sensory systems that picks up vibration." "That's why I move very slowly in the water, very deliberately." "I need to move like a big croc." "The fish become skittish." "I sense a big predator close by." "Knowing this is potentially a maneater puts me on high alert." "It disappears quickly under the papyrus into the maze of underwater tunnels." "I follow cautiously." "Some of these tunnels are kilometres long." "Inside are big caves hollowed out by hippos and crocs, where they take prey to soften for eating." "One wrong move in here and I could die." "If I dislodge sediment, I'll be in a blackout and easy prey for the croc." "I feel the adrenalin surging through my body." "I release all sense of being prey." "At the end of my beam of light, I see the glint of the crocs teeth, and then like a ghost, it disappears." "My mind shoots back to the village." "I try to push away my thoughts of the croc stalking me in the dark." "The lurking croc distracts me as I move deeper into the maze." "As I turn around to exit, there's that terrible feeling in my stomach." "I'm confused, everything looks different to my entry." "I'm lost." "It doesn't help my anxiety to find the remains of one of the crocs' last meals." "In the distance I see a glimmer of light... that I hope may lead to the main channel." "I follow my instinct." "It's a huge relief to be back in the sunlit channels." "I make my way slowly back to the boat." "Suddenly I glimpse a familiar texture amongst the river cabbage." "The croc has backtracked and exited the maze." "I remind myself that these smaller crocs are often the most dangerous." "All seems fine at first." "Suddenly the croc turns on me, ready to attack." "Then he goes straight for me." "It was difficult to see his size because just his tail was sticking out, so I got a couple of shots of the tail, and obviously got too close to him, and he suddenly moved out and started slowly swimming down current." "So I swam after him and he went faster and faster and faster." "I would say he was about a nine foot croc, pretty much my size, maybe just a little bit bigger, beautiful markings, beautiful animal." "As we tracked down the main channel together, it suddenly got to the point he actually faced off, he turned round on the bottom, faced me sideways, and then all of a sudden he came straight for me and passed me on the left." "So obviously you keep the camera up and you try and shoot." "I don't think I got the shot, but he swam past." "For a moment there, I was out of control of the situation." "I didn't know what was going on." "Travelling back past the village, we get word that a cow has been taken by a big croc... and has been seen dragging it downriver." "For the villagers this is bad news, cattle are their currency, their symbol of wealth." "But for me, this may present the chance I've been waiting for." "With the smell of the fresh carcass, a huge scent trail is moving downriver, calling all the crocs to focus on this one large food source." "The crocodiles sometimes wait a few days for the animal to soften... before they begin ripping off large chunks." "I worry that they may drag it underwater and I'll never see it again." "Seeing the animals around the carcass," "I start to get a really uneasy feeling building inside me." "Greg is cautioning me against getting in the water alone... under these circumstances." "He thinks these animals might see me as a threat to their food and attack." "Looking at these feeding crocs," "I watch carefully for their aggression towards each other, imagining myself amongst them." "They seem to be very accepting of each other, but how will they react to me?" "Of course now this is a whole new situation." "Now you've got a lot of animals, they're all keen into food, they are competing with each other, there's a definite hierarchy at the carcass, bigger crocs are feeding first and they are keeping other crocs away." "So if a diver comes along and he's bobbing along the surface... and he appears to be part of that carcass, they are going to go for them." "So it's a very nervous situation." "I need to try and put Greg's mind at ease." "I decide to show him something else I'd experienced in Costa Rica, something that reinforced my belief that if you approach crocs in the right way, they can react well." "Greg remained wary as I showed him what I'd seen in Costa Rica." "I spent several days with a crocodile caller, Juan Buitrayo, who has built a remarkable relationship based on food... with a number of wild crocodiles." "What I found most interesting is that the crocs don't go for him... but rather choose the small food morsels that he gives them." "It's somewhat of a mystery why they don't take him, but this was what gave me hope for diving with the feeding crocs." "I was counting on them accepting me as another predator at the kill... and not attacking." "The croc calling art took Juan several years to develop." "He slowly built the trust of the animals, drawing them closer and closer to his body." "He was badly savaged during this process... but somehow managed to survive and continue." "Juan has even taken his relationship further... and the crocs allow him to touch them." "He shows a side to crocs that very few know." "People think I'm crazy sometimes, but it's these small things that give me confidence... as I plot the feast in my head." "Greg remains skeptical, he feels this situation is quite different, as he knows African crocs to be more aggressive than their American cousins." "I'm hearing Greg's worries." "I'm sensing I need someone in the water to watch my back." "There is only one person who comes to mind, an old shark diving buddy." "His name is Walter Bernadis." "He's always wanted to dive with crocodiles." "It's Walter." "Fantastic he's got back to us." "Walter, can you hear me, how are you doing, excellent!" "Listen, we've got a great situation here." "These crocs have taken a cow and they've stashed it up... one of the side channels and it's going to be an excellent opportunity." "I really need you to get up here quickly... and I think bring a medic as well, because I don't know how these crocs are going to behave... with food in the water." "Greg will pick you up in Maun." "All right, Walter, see you soon." "Great thanks, Greg." "So he's coming?" "Walter has managed to develop extreme intimacy with giant tiger sharks." "He was the first person in the world to put tiger sharks into a trance-like state." "He worked out that by touching their sensory organs, next to the shark's mouth, a catatonic-like state could be triggered." "It was only his deep knowledge of sharks... and his fearlessness up close that made this strange and intimate feat possible." "I wondered how Walter would react to the crocodiles." "Now I'm stressed about the time." "I need to get in the water as soon as possible to get Walter used to the crocs." "I'm also worried because water clarity is dropping... as the current is starting to decrease." "Walter has brought with him Ainsley Mcclarty, experienced paramedic recently back from working in Afghanistan." "Now there's no turning back." "The fear starts mounting as we speak of what we face." "The water pulls me, and at the same time, its depths haunt me." "So Walter, how are you feeling, this is the first time you've been up here in the delta." "What's your sense of all of this?" "It's certainly new for me." "I'm sorta used to the big animals in the sea, but this environment here, dealing with reptiles, cold water, murky to clean conditions, it's totally new for me so... a little bit nervous but excited at the same time, you know." "When I was first contacted, they told me they needed a nurse, someone with paramedic experience, with Africa outdoor experience." "I said to them they don't need a nurse, they need a psychiatrist, because what person is going to go out and dive with crocs." "The biggest concern is when you have a limb taken, or puncture wounds, obviously a person being in water, they can bleed out very quickly." "And so putting pressure on, getting a drip up as quickly as possible... and stabilizing the patient is always the most important." "I've dealt quite a few times with people who've lost limbs... and it's definitely very achievable to save their life." "We probably have a 24-hour window to realize our quest." "Once the carcass is finished, the crocs will disperse." "We have to find the carcass and try to dive late this afternoon or tonight, even though it increases the risk factor, this might be our only chance." "We move the whole house boat to the general area... where Greg has last seen the carcass, and then we will begin searching with the small faster boats." "Now I'm feeling most alive, close to the wild, to nature, to the feast." "All other thoughts fade, I'm with the giants in my mind, at the carcass." "I really don't think I'm going to die, but I know there is a chance I might." "This is what I love most, this is my world." "Fear is something I've learnt to control and undertsand." "The dark is part of my deep evolutionary past, because for thousands of years, big predators hunted our ancestors at night." "It's hard to explain why we do it." "Why do we do it?" "We do it for the excitement, we do it for the challenge." "I realize that what we are doing... shatters the perception that people have of these animals." "Greg motors to the area where he last saw the carcass and looks for signs." "Now the adrenalin is surging through me." "The swamp, the reeds, the tiny insects, every sound, all hyper real." "Suddenly we spot a large number of glowing eyes... and plenty of crocs near the surface." "Greg is sure the carcass is nearby." "The crocs seem not too fearful of the boat at night." "The plan is for Greg to watch activity on the surface... and flash us with his light if he feels too many crocs are moving in on us." "Our job is to find the carcass and determine how much flesh is left." "We slip in and move cautiously." "The crocs are patrolling the surface." "We get underneath them and soon find the carcass jammed under the bank." "Walter finds part of a croc's tooth broken off in the carcass' bone." "I was relieved to find some meat still on the carcass." "Greg sees a large male approaching us from the boat." "He comes to the edge of our light." "There is something about this animal that gives Greg a bad feeling, he signals for us to get out." "Greg senses the croc is going to attack." "There is enough flesh on the carcass to dive in daylight tomorrow." "We get out, no point in pushing our luck in the dark." "How's that tooth in the femur, I brought it up with me." "Let me have a look, it obviously broke off when it was biting into it, the bite force is amazing." "And apparently this ridge on the side is... what they use to lash out and bash into other animals." "Now's a good time to tell me about all that stuff, my goodness!" "Early next morning the whole team prepare themselves for what lies ahead." "It's our last chance before the crocs finish off the carcass and disperse." "I really..." "I'm feeling... that tension." "We are going into an unknown territory, what's a bit nerve racking for me is just the number of animals." "I'm anxious on the inside." "I'm a bit..." "I'm concerned about these guys diving and what's gonna happen." "How many crocs are there gonna be?" "How are they gonna respond to being interrupted while they are eating?" "Are they going to be functioning in a pecking order and... see the divers as a threat, who knows, so, this is crunch time and..." "I will be far more comfortable when it's over." "As we approach the area where we saw the carcass in the night," "I'm seeing more crocs than I've ever seen before, trying to heat their bodies, they need heat for the energy to feast." "Every available piece of dry land is covered with crocs, the carcass has to be close." "This big male has the marks of recent fighting, not a good sign for us divers." "I was hoping that they would be more tolerant to each other... with so many animals together." "Greg spots them." "I count at least 20 animals near the carcass." "Knowing we are about to enter the water, my whole stomach starts going into a knot." "I focus on breathing, put all the good encounters in the front of my mind... and push the nightmares away." "Incredibly lucky to find it, often... once that animal bursts and the crocs start feeding on it, they will take it under the papyrus and hide it, and there it's a perfect situation, it looks like they've pushed it into a little bay," "it's in still water, sort of wedged up against a tree... and they've started to feed on it." "I must say, Walter, I've got that same... little butterfly feeling I had the first time I got in." "Let's gonna have a look, hey." "Just be aware that the smell of the rotting meat... is like a magnet to these animals." "They will all be swimming upriver, all coming to investigate the source of that." "We prepare to enter the water some distance from the carcass." "Crocs don't like boats in the day." "Just be careful." "As we enter, I'm startled by a croc right under the boat." "I control my fear as I try to see where it's gone." "The visibility is so bad, I can only see 4 metres, less than the length of some of these crocs." "To make matters worse, the current is exceptionally strong." "Should we abandon the dive, these conditions are frightening!" "I push my fear aside and move towards the carcass." "Crocs seem to be everywhere, following the smell of the meat." "Everywhere we turn, crocs are waiting in places where the current is least strong." "It's a maze blocked by dragons." "I find it hard to read their body language... but none seem to be showing aggression yet." "We will have to go around, there are just too many here." "The divers are going into this situation that is very unknown." "I'm quite nervous, quite nervous for both of them." "They really have to have their wits about them." "You don't want them bumping into an animal... because I think the reactions around the carcass, you see them when they are feeding, another croc comes by, they often snap at them, just to let them know, hey it's my turn, you hang back." "If the diver comes across as another crocodile coming, there's a dangerous situation, plus they are looking for food now, they can smell it, they know it's there." "It's very nervous situation." "I'm surprised no crocs have confronted us yet, we are well into their feeding territory." "In the gloom I make out a large pelvic bone ripped from the carcass." "Amazingly no animals challenge us as we approach it." "Do they somehow know we pose no threat to their food, or are they just waiting to attack?" "A lot of the meat has been shredded and the animal has been gutted." "Walter watches my back as I inspect the carcass." "There are huge puncture marks on a leg bone." "As Walter swims to the side, he sees a huge animal within a few feet of the carcass... watching us, waiting, assessing." "The biggest challenge lies ahead, it's time to get back to the boat through the mounting circle of crocs, and somehow we have to appear confident, give no sense of being prey." "Every 40 minutes a croc needs to surface and get a breath of air." "Walter is telling me his plan to swim underneath... as soon as the next croc goes up for a breath." "As we take the gap, we bump right into another huge male." "Fortunately he too goes for air." "As we swim through the maze of crocs, the strangest thing happens." "We bump right up against another big animal." "Unlike the others, he does not move." "This animal is completely aware of our presence, but somehow accepting." "Walter's unusual sense with big predators kicks in." "I watch in awe and fear as Walter gently strokes the dragon's tail." "Then something happens that I could never have imagined." "I watch in disbelief as Walter begins to ride the croc across the river... in the direction of the boat." "Even though the croc is slowed by Walter's heavy weight, it does not shake him off or attack." "It feels like I'm watching some strange fairy tale... as Walter rides the croc some 50 metres across the river." "I have no explanation for why a predator allows such intimate behaviour." "And finally it flicks away." "Yet again, these animals reveal another side, the mystery side that few people ever get to see." "I'm humbled and awed." "You get a feeling with some animals, they will let you interact with them, let you touch them, others won't." "This particular one obviously," "I didn't know what it was going to do when I first touched it," "I didn't know if it was going to turn around and try and bite or... when I held on properly, if it was going to have an adverse reaction, but it didn't seem to mind at all," "it just plodded on, it put it into low range... and pulled into that current, and it was fantastic." "I think you got away lightly, to be honest." "I've caught small crocs and other reptiles like snakes, pythons, where I've grabbed them by the tail, and had them whip around... and try bite the disturbance behind them." "So that's always what I've thought if you do that, if you try and grab a croc by its tail, it could very well swing round and bite you." "So I'd be very cautious in the future." "I wouldn't try that too often." "I was expecting that any second... because you've seen how these animals react to other things in the wild." "That's why I was extremely gentle in the beginning." "I was expecting it to... rear around and have a go at me, but it just kept on going, and all along, the more weight I put on it, the more I thought, ok he's going to turn now," "until I was completely gliding along with it." "It just accepted it." "So I got a little bit more at ease, because you don't quite know exactly how it's going to react, but this one... reacted beautifully." "I've been very nervous a lot of the time being stuck here on the boat, having the guys get in the water near feeding crocodiles, getting in the water at night, doing all the kind of things that are always... no go areas," "things you just don't do with crocodiles, and here the guys have been doing it." "To be back here at the boat, the divers are back in the boat, they've got some stuff, they've seen some amazing things, they've learnt a lot." "To me it's a huge relief, knowing that this is all behind us, and we've survived this..." "this little escapade." "You got to accept it, coming out of this experience, you're not gonna be the same as you went in," "something's shifted." "But certainly I'm not the same person when I go home in a days time." "When we first started diving with these animals, the whole thing was, would they eat us or not, and having broken through that barrier as it were, and realizing that underwater that you are not prey," "that's just broadened my whole perception... of how intelligent these animals actually are." "Through this journey, I've been haunted by two voices, one telling me I was going to be ripped apart, another telling me these animals are accepting, if treated right." "Thankfully the second voice won over, and I was able to conquer my deepest fear, and realize these animals have a far greater range... of intelligence and sensitivity to humans than we ever thought." "It's opened up a new light on crocodiles, it's brought me closer to them as a species." "For me, these special moments when men and dragons come together, that's when I'm most alive."