After we boarded the boat and set off down the murky brown river, the crocs started appearing as if from nowhere, and started swimming straight for the boat! Arley and Sage freaked out and jumped on our laps, thinking perhaps, that these giant lizards would jump right into the boat and gobble them up. Bassie on the other hand, was pretty unconcerned and quite amazed to see a croc in the wild.
After much reassuring and actually seeing the first croc "jump" for the bait on the giant fishing rod that the crew used to tempt the crocs out of the water, the kids took a collective breath and relaxed, knowing that we were safe in the boat and we weren't on the menu....!
The guys that run the cruise are professionals and it did seem a little bit like the crocodiles were part of some strange animal show, but after being fed a few times each day for the past 20 years or so, its no wonder they stick around and keep jumping for their tucker. Perhaps not a truly 'authentic' way to see these giant man eaters in the wild, but it does give an up close and personal taste of what a saltie is capable of and just how big they are. "Agro," a six metre male who lives in the river and has been visiting the croc jumping boats for years, was absolutely enormous, with a head that would weigh more than Arley, Sage and Bassie put together, so we were holding tight of hands as we looked over the railing at this reptile!
The Territory is a unique place and the acceptance and respect that the locals show these animals is also unique. They live with crocs in most of their waterways but instead of fearing them, most Territorians have learnt to respect them and for the most part, leave them alone. And after seeing these crocodiles jumping on our cruise, that's what we were going to do as well!
