Eye to Eye

Where the heck to I start?! It's been awhile since my last post, I know. This week, I'm going to post one story a day from my adventures. I hope you enjoy 'em. First... croc island in Mexico!

About 27 minutes south of Puerto Escondido there's an island in the mangroves right on the beach. It's a tourist destination for one reason... crocodiles. The Snakes and Ladders crew guys got wind of this while we were there shooting the live broadcast of the Zicatela Pro. After the event, we packed up the Suburban and headed south.

The goal of the trip, capture footage of the crocodiles and have me talk about the crocs, the island and try to get a close as possible to one of these beasts. Yeah, I was cool with everything. No problem. On the way down, I prepared my right arm with protection (duct taped water bottle to forearm). I understood if the croc wanted to chomp on my body parts and have a feast, there was nothing I could do. But for me, the arm protector was for my state of mind.

After a paddle through the waters of the mangroves, we landed on the island. A short walk to the other side and boom, we were at our destination. Alberto, our private guide, called out to the water and within seconds two beady eyes ascended from the murky shallows. That's as far as the croc would come. Alberto and I took off and returned with a bag full of chicken parts.

That's when the croc scurried up out of the water to snack on some fresh poultry that Alberto was tossing out to him. I was allowed to be by his side. We were about three feet from the croc! That's when I was shitting bricks! I felt a deep hollowness come over me. That's when reality hit me. If this croc wanted to attack and eat me... my arm protector would not stop his massive jaw from taking anything she wanted. Alberto handed me some chicken and I got as close as possible and was hoping I would drag her out of the water a little more. Oh man! Keep in mind, I'm on the other side of a four foot barrier!

I had the Manny Cam on my helmet rolling. The Snakes and Ladders crew are documenting the entire IBA World Tour so I'm not sure if I'm allowed to release this raw clip to the world. I have a handful of clips but I'm only going to release one. FYI, we all escaped on touched. The S&L crew will have a full length feature at the end of year. Make sure you get your hands on this one way or another because I assure you, it's going to be absolutely insane!

Okay, onto the one clip that that may or may not end up in the documentary. Check it: