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Two recent accounts of crocodiles stalking boaties on Kimberley Coast waters should serve as a warning to vessels cruising northern Australian waters. Rubber duckies, small dinghies and paddling craft such as kayaks are not suitable as tenders in this area.
A recent report was of an attack near Water Pipe Bay in Swift Bay around late 2013 dry season. We’re waiting on a first hand account of the incident, but its understood the croc tore the transom out of a small RIB and stalked the 2 crew for days. They were stranded ashore, living off oysters, and luckily managed to find fresh water. Rescue came by way of experienced Darwin based boaties who were about to leave the area and spotted the stranded couple waving frantically.
This might be a good time to remind people heading to the Kimberley coast about the importance of always taking a small, cheap, personal EPIRB and a hand held VHF radio with them when they go ashore, or leave their mother vessel in a tender for any reason.
Two other separate incidents of crocodiles stalking small craft happened within days of each other on the Governor Islands and in the Drysdale River late in the 2012 dry season. On both occasions, Don MacLeod from Don’s Camp in the Drysdale River, rescued the people involved. ABC News and the WAToday.com reported these incidents at the time. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-02/man-rescued-after-being-stalked-by-croc-for-2-weeks/4929068 http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/hes-not-a-hero-hes-an-idiot-kimberley-residents-anger-over-croc-man-rescue-20130903-2t2q2.html
The “General Information” leaflet in the Anchorage pages of this web site has information and strategies related to safety around crocodiles.
This monster 6M croc followed the writer’s dinghy in Mudge Bay 2013. Possibly the same croc in the Water Pipe Bay incident. -
Also take great care near Osborne Islands, especially up any of the creeks. A 4m plus croc (an almost black one) has attacked 4 times in the last 2 years that I know of. All were 6 to 7 m runabout style boats and on 3 occasions the croc almost ended up inside the boat. It grabbed and did a death roll with a large fender on one boat. Then we now have set of teeth marks half way up the metal support for the shade, approx 1.5 m above the water. Flew out of water directly at me, was to close for comfort. It’s a nasty one ! More attack incidents each year as the residents get older, larger and have no fear of humans or boats at all.
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