Life here is primarily invisible lurking underwater, hidden in trees, camouflaged on ancient rocks.
Some of it is dangerous, even lethal.
You will not see them approach.
Credit:Matt Dutile
They can sense a Zodiac a kilometer away.
They swim fast and even run fast, in case youre wondering about going ashore.
They will eat us.
Matt Dutile
They even eat each other.
Saltwater crocodiles are the oldest reptiles on earth, the apex of predators.
“Neverput your hands or legs in the water.
Matt Dutile
Do not stand up unless I OK it,” Fitzgerald adds, as if I was considering it.
Can a croc jump onto a Zodiac or bump it from underneath?
I ask, my voice quivering.
Matt Dutile
Ill never say never, but Ive never heard of it, shrugs Fitzgerald.
Although were wearing lifejackets, Id rather fall into the boat than out.
Take the underwater mangrove forests lining our ocean route.
Matt Dutile
Fitzgerald points out their yellow leaves floating in the water.
Theyre sacrificial leaves, he says with reverence.
I must snap 1,000 pictures, as no two are alike.
Matt Dutile
Drink a liter of water an hour, advises Fitzgerald.
Yet, despite the clime, I am mesmerized.
Each day is a jaw-dropper.
Matt Dutile
It all looks like a movie set waiting for its dinosaur-driven cast.
Fitzgerald kindly shares theres a rare one-fanged snake here whose bite can kill you in 30 minutes.
Im in awe of team member Sue Crafer, who also races yachts around the world.
Before we head to the Horizontal Falls, Crafer says, Take in where you are.Feelthe place.
She urges us to smell the iron from the sandstone and inhales deeply, her face awash with bliss.
We skid and swirl a little like the Mad Tea Party ride at Disney World.
Then Crafer gets a radio call and grimly informs us about a situation with another Zodiac.
She says aloud, I hope no one is hurt.
Sunrise lights the inky sky in blazing orange hues, making the early rise a thrill.
We zoom past green sea turtles, whose heads pop out of the water and then vanish.
In high tide, the reef is swallowed by the sea once again.
This experience feels joyful and surreal, and I grin from ear to ear.
Before we view the sacred art, a Worrorra guide says a prayer in his native tongue.
Finally, we see crocs on the Hunter Rivers sandy shores.
We cut our motor and drift close.
One is estimated to be about 1,200 pounds, probably male.
I see his eyes, so reptilian, so primordial, and it was full-body goosebump time.
Seabourn spent years developing relationships with the Wunambal Gaambera Traditional Owners to get to today.
Pride and joy fill their faces, and tears moisten ours.
