Two fishermen in Australia’s Northern Territory had a terrifying encounter with a crocodile after it leapt from the water and chased down their catch, which they managed to record on camera.
Daniel was angling for barramundi with his friend Dac in a billabong when he caught a massive fish. Dac can be heard encouraging him in the video, telling him, “Keep pressure, keep pressure” on the line.
However, they weren’t the only ones fishing that day. A 13-foot saltwater crocodile had been watching their progress nearby, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
I LOVE Fishing, but this goes with one of the reasons why I Prefer Trout fishing … Never Happened on a Trout Stream … Crocodile chases fishermen away from their catch, sends them running for their lives https://t.co/dW3vPhznxx #FoxNews
— James L Goforth, Jr (@jamesgoforthjr) March 26, 2019
“[The barramundi] had gotten caught up in a bit of weed, and [Daniel] was putting a bit of pressure on it,” Dac told ABC Australia.
Eventually, Daniel was able to maneuver the barramundi free of the weeds and started reeling it in. As he reeled it in, the crocodile decided it was time to act.
“Everything escalated from there pretty quickly,” Dac said.
As the crocodile shot after the barramundi, Dac can be heard screaming in the video recording for Daniel to run. “Run back bro, run back!” he yelled.
“I wasn’t looking at Daniel, I just sort of hoped that he was running,” he said.
‘Run Daniel, run!’ Terrifying moment enormous crocodile suddenly appears in Outback creek and starts chasing fisherman after stealing his catch #NorthernTerritory https://t.co/ZGgdOCU9Xr
— Ben Owen (@BenOwen82) March 25, 2019
Instead of letting go of the line, Daniel “started bringing the fish faster and faster towards the bank, but the croc sort of matched the speed,” Dac added.
In the video, the crocodile can be seen chasing the line while Daniel runs backwards.
“Run, Daniel, run. Run, run, run. Oh no, he’s got it, pressure on. Pressure on. Keep the pressure,” Dac shrieked.
However, the crocodile wins the race, chomping down on the massive fish right off the line.
The two can be heard lamenting the loss of the “absolute beast of a fish” on the recording.
‘Run, bro, run!’: Terrifying video shows crocodile snapping fish off of line https://t.co/T0MxjrzsmA pic.twitter.com/irChkcaQoH
— WMUR TV (@WMUR9) March 26, 2019
Dac explained to ABC Australia that they wanted the fish to take a photo and then they were going to let it go.
“We were shocked, we were sad,” Dac said. “I was disappointed for Daniel—it was a good fish.”
After gulping down the fish, “lure, line, all” the crocodile stayed where it was and so Dac and Daniel took “the long way” back around the lake, not taking any chances with the large reptile.
Despite losing the barramundi, Dac and Daniel said they still took home something from the encounter. “Probably the experience of a lifetime,” Dac said.
Northern Territory fishermen lose barramundi to monster crocodile – ABC News https://t.co/EQpUwkDKGe
— Kerrie Edwards (Kapilaya Maa) (@kezza021961) March 25, 2019
Video of the encounter was posted on social media where it went viral. However, they also received backlash, as some called their exploits “crazy.”
Dac responded to those comments and said they had exercised “a fair bit of caution.”
“We moved back, as it was sitting there digesting this fish, we made our way up a tree,” he explained.
We weren’t hanging around for any other sort of explosive action,” he said, adding, “I think it went to sleep. It didn’t move a muscle for ages.”
He also said they weren’t looking for any kind of online fame.
“We love fishing, we want to catch fish, but that’s all we want,” he said. “Hope there’s many more fish.”