Photo: IG / @tygphoto
You don’t have to go far to find a surf spot the locals claim to be infested with sharks. It’s a crowd-control tactic as old as time. Most of us roll our eyes at the notion but it’s fair to assume anybody making that claim will say it’s worth tipping the BS meters if it keeps just one person out of the water.
Anyway, rumors of crocodiles around the Mentawais have probably been treated with the same skepticism lately. The “Ments” are one heavily trafficked, wildly popular destination with world-class waves and no shortage of charter boats dumping tourists into local lineups. So you’d be forgiven if you passed the rumors off as a soft attempt at crowd control. But according to Martin Daly, the boat captain who played a key role in exploring the region and turning it into the surf destination it is, the rumors aren’t rumors.
Daly posted footage of a large crocodile swimming around a reef. There are no distinguishing markers to give away which wave he’s talking about, and there are no surfers, but Daly claims the footage came from one of his own favorite waves in the region.
“Rumors of crocs at one of my most favorite waves that I’ve been surfing for over 40 years are rumors no longer,” he wrote on Instagram this week. “Big fella has been there for quite a while, saw another only slightly smaller one last year at a nearby break. First we’ve seen here. Surfing with apex predators is not optimal, they have left us alone up until now but…”
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Saltwater crocs swimming around lineups are definitely capable of keeping visitors at bay. According to a 2015 article from Business Insider and an infographic created in 2014, they are 100 times more likely to kill or attack people than sharks. At the time, crocodiles killed about 1,000 people per year around the world compared to just 10 fatal shark attacks. BI points out that less than 10 percent of shark species (about 30) have ever even attacked humans. Only 12 of those species are considered exceptionally dangerous.
“If they (sharks) encounter a human, they’ll typically give an exploratory bite and then move on, allowing a window for escape,” Business Insider wrote. “This difference may stem from the fact that crocodiles are extremely territorial, and will kill any intruders, including humans. Sharks, on the other hand, tend to be loners, roaming the vast ocean in search of food and places to hide.”
