Chinchorro Crocodiles

Steve Taylor · Issue 105, Nov/Dec 2018 · pp. 63–66

Products mentioned: Nikon D810, Nauticam housing, Sea & Sea YS-D2 strobes, Sigma 15mm, Nikkor 70-300mm

I was looking for something new. Having done my share of trips from live-aboard boats and dive lodges, I was looking something off the beaten path. The trip to the remote Chinchorro atoll, to dive with and photograph saltwater crocodiles, seemed perfect. The American saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is one of the largest species of crocodile, growing to over 6 meters and weighing up to 900 kilograms. Despite their enormous size and potential dangerousness, they rarely attack large animals (or humans), preferring to eat fish, reptiles, birds, or small mammals. Such large creatures can move remarkably fast over short distances. I was looking forward to the unique opportunity of having close encounters with these large apex predators. I flew into Cancun where six of us, plus our guide, boarded a van for a four-hour drive south to Xcalak (pronounced Ish-kalak), a small fishing village…