Crocodile Attacks:
The Beach Slope Ambush

These crocodile attacks occurred while I was doing field work on a remote beach in the Northern Territory studying Flatback sea turtles. The largest of the three beaches I was covering was five kilometers long and needed to be patrolled every night for two hours each side of the high tide. This beach had a large freshwater lagoon about 50 metres behind it, for more than half its length. I and the volunteers who helped with my research work came to call this place Death Beach.

Crocs On The Beach

One thing about saltwater crocodiles is that they like living where there is a mix of fresh and salt water, so this beach was ideal for them. And there were plenty of them too; on one trip along the beach I counted over fifteen crocodiles ranging from 1 metre to a whopping 6 metres in length. Most of the crocs were between 2 and 4 metres in length.

The crocodiles would cross the beach slope to and from the lagoon either to rest in the fresh water or to hunt in the sea. Since I was patrolling up and down the beach every night at the same time relative to the tide, the crocs very quickly learned this pattern and eventually set ambush for me.

Fortunately I was patrolling the beach on a four wheel motorcycle, called a quad. I had initially attempted to patrol it on foot but the length of the beach made this impractical. In a way I am lucky the beach was as long as it was; had it been shorter I would have patrolled it on foot I would not have been able to move as quickly and the ambushes may well have succeeded.

Watch The Bushes

Crocs are known for their habit of hiding in the water at the edge of a river or beach and grabbing any prey that comes in range. I countered this by keeping clear of the water's edge whenever possible. The beach slope was quite wide in most places so this was not a problem. However, the crocs on this beach also showed a liking for lurking in the bushes lining the top of the beach slope in front of the lagoon.

As I approached, a croc would run down the beach slope on an intercept course. They were able to judge the timing of this very well in spite of my traveling at at least 30 kilometers per hour. I would have to stop, accelerate or swerve to miss the crocodiles.

At first I thought that the crocs were startled by the light of the quad and the noise of the engine, and were making a break for the sea. However these crocodile attacks kept happening at least every second night, and on two occasions the crocs got within biting range. One of these two did snap at the quad but luckily it missed the tyre it was aiming at. Being stuck right next to a hungry croc in the dark and miles from nowhere was not a pleasant option. One crocodile ran under the quad; it was four metres long and to this day I cannot understand how the vehicle did not capsize.

Despite regular ambushes over a three month period I remained unharmed. I must confess though that I became very afraid of my nightly patrols on Death Beach. I only survived these crocodile attacks because of sheer luck.