a couple of points on crocs from Cambridge Gulf Area

1. Be wary of 2m and larger

Long story short in the good old days we shot a croc hassling our net, we dragged it out next tide and it measured 2.43m (8 foot). I was shattered when I realized Tarzan dispatching crocs with his bowie knife was just hollywood claptrap. At 2.43m they are powerful,heavy and well armoured beasts (granted the underside is vulnerable), good luck trying to hang onto a croc of this size.

2. Size matters

3.6m is the minimum size stated on this forum. I have a 3m tender and a 3.9m workboat, the tender is used for zapping back and forth to the yacht. I have fished out of it but not in mangrove lined tidal creeks or anything that looks croc friendly. The 3.9m workboat is towed behind the yacht when in croc country (if you’ve towed you know the pain) but i would not like a croc of the size mentioned above to land across the workboat as it would most likely capsize the boat. To say the least, as stated elsewhere in these forums trust your instincts and if they’re too close, too big, or too many; start the engine and get out.

3. Their behaviour is unpredicable

Since the Australian government decided it prefers crocs to humans, the only worry crocs have is a bigger croc or a group of sharks. When they’re stalking around your cruiser or dinghy they aren’t posing for photos, they’re using their i86 brainpower to figure out how to get you into their stomach.

4. They can levitate

Well not quite, but they can lift a fair bit of their torso out of the water using their powerful tail, Norm Stanley got his arm lacerated when a croc lept up and tried to pull him of his cabin cruiser at Cape Dommet; at Eric And Elsie Islands another bloke was looking over the side of the boat, felt something wasn’t right and pulled back to see a crocs jaw snap shut where his head had been, he still has bad dreams about it. More recently a woman walking her dogs by a creek in Wyndham lost her lower arm to a croc.

5. Peeing

Great male tradition even on boats with a toilet is “hanging it over the side ” so many sailors have been lost due to boat movement/balance/boom doing this and in croc country at night hanging well out over the side is asking for trouble ,use a container if there is no dunny you can rinse it (cautiously)at daylight

6. Tourist boats

Many amateur fishermen/boat owners in the Cambridge Gulf area blame croc behaviour around local boats and dinghys on tour boats feeding crocs. At King George River in April this year a 3m croc circled our yacht at about 10 to 15m away however when I threw the bucket over to get water for a wash, the croc headed straight for the bucket. But lets face it you have to be pragmatic, a Ginger Meadows every couple of decades is just good business Jack.

cheers steve