Bartolomeo Bove is a professional shark diver and underwater videographer. He’s Italian, but he calls Florida home. As any good professional shark diver and underwater videographer living in Florida should, he enjoys getting as close as possible to apex predators like sharks, anacondas, alligators, and crocodiles. But it’s not for the faint of heart. In July of 2020, he headed to Banco Chinchorro, the richest coral reef site in Mexico, to capture the amazing footage you see above.
Banco Chinchorro is an incredible place. Twenty-two miles off the southeastern coast of the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico, it’s the largest atoll reef in the Northern Hemisphere. Home to around 500 American crocodiles, it is not a place for the casual swimmer.
Most of the crocodiles live in a lagoon in the central island of the atoll. “The crocodiles are extraordinary creatures and being in their presence, so close, in their natural domain was, for me, a truly breathtaking experience,” Bove explained.
It’s hard to fathom why the crocodiles don’t attack Bove when he’s so clearly in their space, but Bove has an answer for that.
“For those who are wondering why they don’t attack me and instead let me approach them undisturbed and even touch them,” he said, “the answer is simply that they could attack at any moment if they had the opportunity. Although most of these crocodiles surpass us humans in terms of size, sometimes by far, in general they perceive a human adult as ‘too big’ and therefore a less convenient prey compared to the ones that they usually feed on which are significantly smaller in size, such as fish, birds, and crustaceans.”
Crocodiles, however, have been known to attack humans, so Bove doesn’t take these types of dives lightly.
“The safest way to approach these crocodiles is directly in front of them due to their limited visual range and at their same level or below them in the water column,” he wrote. “Straight in front of them because usually when they strike, they snap to the side instead of lunging forward with a bite. They are highly intelligent predators and they are constantly observing you.”
Although Bove does have more experience than most diving with apex predators like American crocodiles, he doesn’t let himself get too at ease with them.
“Their eyes are always following your movements in the water,” he said. “Even if they are approached from the front, they can slowly but steadily position themselves on your side, ready to take advantage of any possible moment of distraction to assess the attack. Never take your eyes off the crocodile if you swim with them!”
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