Chinchorro Expedition: Crocodile encounters in Yucatan
This July we had an amazing adventure on the other side of the country and our first (hopefully, of many) expedition outside of Baja. Our destination was the small fishing atoll; Banco Chinchorro. Donna and Steve joined us for this epic adventure into the last corner of Mexico to encounter the majestic and respected American salt water crocodile.
Crocodylus acutus (American salt water crocodile)
We started the trip departing from Playa del Carmen on a four hour drive down to Xcalak where we would be based. On the way, we stopped at the beautiful Muyil ruins, Sian Kaan jungle walk, visited the town of Limones to buy delicious fruit and enjoyed a fresh lunch in Mahahual.
Banco Chinchorro is a pristine atoll lying approximately 22 nautical miles off shore. It covers an area of 800 square kilometers with impressive reefs, abundant mangroves and lagoons. The Atoll is home to huge biodiversity of fish, crabs, iguanas and the American salt water crocodiles.
Once we returned from the dive, the captains and guide started attracting the crocodiles to the hut - we got quite comfortable in the process, some of us even enjoying a short snooze here and there. The crocs come out of the mangroves and over to the huts when they hear the fishermen gutting their catch and cleaning their pangas and decks. Crocodiles have very good hearing, and they have been doing this since the fishermen first started coming here 100 years ago. So in order to bring the crocs out the crew make noise in the water with buckets, and bang on the wood of the hut. Sure enough, after some time, the crocs come over to check what’s going on.
Getting in the water with Crocodiles is something that you will never forget. It’s not what you would expect, as they exude a fierce sense of calm. They move very slowly and cautiously, never taking their eyes off us, constantly analyzing the strange situation they have found themselves in. When in the water, there was always one person on each side of Mathias -the crocodile guide- who was 100% in control and able to preempt the animal’s moves and reactions. The captain stands on the panga and communicates with Mathias through signs, using bait to direct the attention of the crocodile to where Mathias wants it. The whole scene is an incredible exhibition of non-verbal communication between both humans and wildlife.
On this day we had Toothy, who gets the name from his peculiar looking teeth on the front of his snout. He is a very “friendly” crocodile who likes to get very close. We also had Chiquilin -a much smaller crocodile- who has only been seen since the beginning of the year. He was still very shy and afraid to get too close, especially once Toothy showed up.
After an amazing first day in the water with these ancient looking animals we had delicious fish for dinner that Captain Vaquero’s brother fished for us. The day ended with drinks and dancing under the moon. The rush and excitement of our encounter filled the air.
For day two, Mathias took us to explore the mangroves and specifically to a beautiful spot where the frigate chicks sit in the mangrove branches, their fluffy white feathers and long beaks decorating the leafs. While inside the lagoon we were able to spot a few small crocodiles. In the afternoon we went for our dives. In Chinchorro, every dive is bound to be beautiful. We explored a fantastic reef with huge coral formations and plenty of life; turtles, nurse sharks, huge parrot fish and even a black tip reef shark. Our second dive was at an old wreck, where we spotted a black tip reef shark and plenty of colorful Caribbean reef fish and turtles. Due to its shallow reef, Chinchorro has many wrecks, with at least 9 properly identified and can be dived.
Our second crocodile encounter was with Gambit, one of them most well known crocodiles of the area. We got to stay with him until the sun started to set. Gambit is also one of the biggest crocodiles in Chinchorro - and my personal favorite. He has a peculiar way of walking and holing up one of his front claws… he is also defiantly interactive and keeps us on our toes. Gambit blows bubbles out of his nose, which is a very cool but unusual behavior for a crocodile.
After another locally sourced dinner and a long exciting day on the ocean, we headed to hour hammocks for an early sleep and recharge in preparation of our last day.
Our last day began bright and early when we headed to our dive spots. The first dive was in a location where nurse sharks are abundant and it didn’t disappoint. It was an 82 min dive on a shallow reef with the friendliest nurse sharks ever. They would rub up against us, or lie in the sand next to us, almost as if they were asking to be pet! The nurse sharks were there from the moment we dropped in to the moment we got out, most of the time staying very close.
Then, we visited the largest island of the Atoll where the CONANP base is, to see the crocodiles from another angle. The crocodiles like to hang out in this area of the lagoon where the water is dark and murky, and we saw about 6 crocodiles in just a few minutes. We stood on the dock looking at them, knowing that this was NOT a place to get in the water with them. Before leaving, we stopped to visit the local population of Iguanas that roam the island… they are huge punk-looking orange iguanas that are wonderful to photograph.
On our last afternoon, Toothy came out for another visit. This time even more active, getting close and walking around us. Mathias did a great job of keeping us safe and was always in control, enjoying Toothy’s company for about two hours. When the crocodiles has been around for too long or we want it to back off a bit, Mathias gave him a lion fish which the croc would take over to the shallows to eat. Crocodiles need to eat with their heads out of the water so they don't swallow the water and it’s incredible to see them eat. As they stick their heads out they also stick their tail out for balance.
The three days in Banco Chinchorro were unforgettable, we were able to observe and photograph one of the most misunderstood animals in the world. As always, leaving this little piece of paradise is hard but it was time to get back to reality. The ride back was smooth and fast and once we arrived to Xcalak we celebrated our three days of perfect conditions and encounters with a cool beer and BBQ dinner. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect ending to our adventure.
Sharing the water with any large predator is always a very humbling experience and we wish everyone could experience it. Contact us to learn more and join an expedition.
