We then turned the boat toward the far side of the river, and yes, thanks to the aforementioned rise and fall of the water, the depth of the Zambezi at any given point can vary greatly. He is The Captain trying to restart the motor after we motored into a very very shallow part and stalled. That sandbar we hunted on is there in the distance behind. ..



...about two minutes after this we completely bottomed out about 1/2 way across the river, this required us all to alight the "boat" (here in Aus that little thing is called a "Tinny") and walk it off the sand...yes...walking in the middle there, it started ankle deep and I levitated back into the boat at a bit past knee deep. I can tell you, all good sense said it was OK, no Hippo or Crocs just here, too shallow, I could see them coming anyway...yep all good...sure it is....no problem at all....let me back in that freaking boat NOW......

How the locals roll...



And why... sadly... people form a stable part of the Crocs diet here on the river....





.... that is a home, one of many in on the sandbars. LOTS of people live in those big weeds. You can see the worn path down to the water where they fetch water and enter/leave a boat. Such regular activities are bait for Crocs who will hunt just like we do. Look for patterns of behaviour and start to target these. Sadly at one point we saw what it looks like what Croc meets human and a Croc taken in the Camp earlier in the year did contain easily identifiable people parts...

Still motoring down stream there were more of the locals out....



And great WHITE (Lilly White) Hunter being fried by the African sun !!! ...



By now it was well past lunchtime and so we put in onto one of the sandbars. After a quick walk around we settled in and had some lunch (left over Cape Buffalo steaks ) by the river. I also managed to find a little place I was thinking of making an offer on as a fixer up/ weekender...



It was then back in the boat and further downriver....we were now well below our camp. We came down and to a looooong and bare sandbar that, earlier in the day was well underwater. With some great luck and no skill or forethought...we decided to put in and have a walk around on it. Boet also suggested we take a "Great White Hunter" pic or two. On this, understand that I don't at all take myself very seriously and tend to have a good deal of fun with most subjects...

So I give you... "Great White Hunter" (note the sandbar is still wet from being underwater just an hour or so earlier) .....

I should add that the lead in to this pic was the fact we could see a Croc out in the distance basking and were in fact looking at it... as it went...we all started looking harder AND harder !!!

This is what we could see (full zoom from where we were standing) ...



At this point we were all in agreement that this was a pretty good sized Croc (if he looks big from a distance then he probably is)... but he was in a REALLY tough spot to hunt and hopefully get into a position to shoot. He is actually laying right on the end of a small point created by another channel of water flowing through a large sandbar, in this case it is where the channel exits back into the river proper. Having seen how coy they are and how little of this Croc is actually out of the water it was going to be tough (one flick and he was back in deep water). In the end we decided to get the boat to take us downriver and across to the far bank. We would then (hopefully) be able to work our way back up undetected and into a spot where he could be better appraised and maybe a shot taken.

This was tough going, it was HOT as the sun was now at it's peak, the plant life was well over head high and it was a case of weaving between the natural growth and some tightly planted corn and tomato bushes, it was also really tough to get a feel for the wind as well. We would bounce back out to the edge of the water to take stock and then back in. At the edges you realise that you are not at all on firm ground but actually walking/standing on tightly grown reed beds. After close to an hour of this we were up where we could see the Croc, and it was obvious that he was one I would take a shot at (despite he only being part way out of the water (his body from midway was sill not at all visible). It was here that Boet again started reiterating the need for a good hit, given how much of him was still submerged he thought only the brain shot would do, the closest we were going to get was now (just shy of 100yds). He made it clear several times that if I had any doubt DON'T SHOOT !!!! About the third mention of this I think I said just let me get on with it...

For this pat I made use of his "shooting sticks" the quintessential African safari accessory I prefer offhand, a tree or my pack but none of these were an option here, so I got them at height and settled in. Lots of breathing and concentration and the odd thought of wasting US$3K on an errant shot... So bang.. It was one of those moments that as the shot went off I KNEW it was good, not suspect but knew. Each and every part was right. None the less Boet asked was it and I said yes, he was not so sure and had me fire again and then again, one in the neck one in the shoulder. The neck shot went high, I knew it as I fired, but the next was fine. Given that after the first round Mr Lizard had not moved at all I was of the belief that shots two and three were not needed but I also knew that Boet ONLY had my best interests at heart.

From the where the shot was fired..



With some zoom...



So now we had to wait for the boat to arrive and there was no way in hell I was swimming across that channel When here did get to us there was no great spot to board so he went out and turn it bow into shore and sped into the reeds as much as he could....then we jumped...

On arrival it was clear (that as suspected on my part) shots two and three were not required... but from where we were situated none of this was at all visible... You can also see how the high second shot grazed the neck (very annoyed about this).



The consensus from all (The Captain, who is a local, especially) was that this is a good Croc... Boet figure a solid 12 feet. Then it was time to load the boat, to do so a handle is made by tying a length of wood across inside the mouth to use as a handle. I offered to help but was told its OK...



.... but that pic was as far as they could get !!!! Down went the camera and I jumped in. That fugger was HEAVY !!!!! And as we pulled and pulled lizard just keep appearing out of the water...!!!!! Finally in the boat and ready to head back fully across the river and upstream. This was NEVER going to be a quick trip...!!!



In the scheme of less than well thought out things to do, Boet suggested I move forward for a picture on the way back...



.... if you look closely you can see how low in the water the bow of the boat has dropped and we almost came to a halt....I resumed my spot at the back of the boat ASAP...

There was some serious discussion back at camp how this lizard was going to get from boat to shore (given the steep banks and the weight of the thing)...

The answer was WINCH !!!!!!



Once on shore and laid flat it was apparent that this was a good Croc (size wise) he was a little thin (having emerged from winter rest recently and in need of a meal) but looong....







...and to be honest the size just can't be appreciated from these pics...or from the Croc on the ground....!!!!

There is also an alternative version of how I killed this Croc, it is saved for those nights when a gullible crowd is present and the beer is flowing freely....





But the reality is..



As we were toiling at the riverside one of the locals stopped by and thanked us for taking the Croc !!! Just a few weeks before a 12yo girl was taken from the edge of the river about 100m downriver from where we were here. She was "lucky" that, unusually, the Croc grabbed her leg and just swam away (no rolling or diving etc). A boatman paddled out and beat the lizard with an ore and it released the girl. She lived, but lost the leg. There is no speculation that this was that Croc, be they were happy none the less...

Boet suggested that, to give a real indication of the size (yes we had put a tape on it by now ) we go put it up a tree !!! Can I say, easier said than done !!!!

We loaded it into the back of the Nissan and drove up into the camp...



Now clearly we all know what is happening here, you will recall I was crowned King of Mozambique earlier in the trip.... it is obvious I have climbed the tree and now everyone is worshiping....



.....don't believe that ???? Really ??? I am shocked....!!!! OK...so, it appears that it is easier to get a message to the guy up the tree about which limb the cable should go over, if everyone on the ground points and shouts at the same time....

Can I tell you, that Nissan was bouncing forward the whole time Mr Scaly was getting lifted up !!!



And there....



....looks big right !!!

How about some scale...



...and NO I am not a bloody midget !!!!!!

A foot...



And I have to say I do love the colouration...



Back down on the ground and a close up of where the first shot landed ...

Then the skinners got to work !!!







So length wise. In my language... 4.5 metres (or 14 feet 10 inches). Yes, I was pretty happy with that


So a quick trip to the local marketplace before we hit the road to hunt some Kudu...we needed some salt for my Croc skin and some boat fuel to replace what we used out on the river (I should also point out I was sporting a pretty good case of sunburn despite the block I was wearing !!!).

Village de Sena...







No licence is required for motorcycles under 50cc, 49cc Chinese made bikes are VERY popular (they are 50cc but the clever Chinese stamp them 49cc )



As are pushbikes...

He got four more on before taking off !!!!!!



Fuel station !!!!!!



And Obano negotiating a price for the fuel !



Sunset back behind camp...

More to come in the next few days as I get editing again ...

Thanks SO much for the pics Andy and the Narration. Hey, if you ever decide to leave Government service you could make it as a story teller!

Thanks for sharing! This is absolutely amazing Andy!!'

Thanks mate

I have a bunch more to write up and present, this has been a bear of a week though...!!!!

Wonderfull pics, Andy. Thanks for posting them!

Thanks Ray