Snorkeling in Edith Falls in The Territory, I spotted what I thought was a water monitor, so I swam closer for a better look. Turned out to be a fresh water croc. We both quickly turned around and swam away in opposite directions. I was probably never in mortal danger, but since I had trapped it against a rock wall it could have easily lashed out and taken a big chunk out of me.
Select to expand quotesmicko said..
^^ That's freaky!!
My worst have been run ins with Whites in full feeding mode. One great big massive **** off thing at Rocky Point up around 20ft about 20 yrs ago and another about 12-14 at Wedge a couple of years ago. The Wedge one was heavy, about a 100m out on a reasonably solid day and drifted over a swell and there it was all arced up and ready to launch at me. I shat bricks for a second or two weighing up the options and decided the only thing I could do was paddle towards it. If I'd tried to run it would've belted me in seconds. After 3 or 4 strokes it's relaxed and slunk off the back of the bank and I scratched into the next wave. Put me off the dawn patrol for a while.
Worst wipeout was at massive Sharkpit at Lano aged 14 or so. It was huuuuge, one solid close out from Eddy's to Lano Island, only time I've ever seen it do it. The only surfable wave was Sharkpit, 1/2 a k or so SW of Eddy's. Inside section was easy 8ft and a mate and I scraped into a couple there before paddling out the back to where we could see these massive perfect peaks peeling off.
Made it out ok and I've gone to take off on a lamp post sized peak and as I got up it petered out and I went "ohh O!"
realising that what we'd seen breaking must've been heaps bigger. Turned around and there's just this THING rearing up 80m further out. Took half a dozen breaths and went for the bottom, got fkn mowed, broke my leggy, swam under the next one then got annihilated. Lip to the middle of the back, pinned on the bottom in God knows how much water.
Pretty much gave up and blacked out just as my head broke the surface, got washed into Sharkpit and hung off a cray float for an hour or so trying to get my **** together. Then had a 1 1/2 hour swim to get to Eddy's..
Meanwhile a cray boat had found my board a few k's out to sea and my mate had made it to shore and raised the alarm with the coppers who sent out search and rescue.
I eventually made it back to shore broken and battered. After weeks of back pain, ended up getting scans and had fractured a vertebra. Put me off big waves forever.
Faaark!
Totally agree with staring down the shark and not running or panicking, I have similar experiences.
As for getting smashed at Lano, that's just character building smicko.
Oh, and get rid of that avatar!
Select to expand quoteZuke said...smicko said..
^^ That's freaky!!
My worst have been run ins with Whites in full feeding mode. One great big massive **** off thing at Rocky Point up around 20ft about 20 yrs ago and another about 12-14 at Wedge a couple of years ago. The Wedge one was heavy, about a 100m out on a reasonably solid day and drifted over a swell and there it was all arced up and ready to launch at me. I shat bricks for a second or two weighing up the options and decided the only thing I could do was paddle towards it. If I'd tried to run it would've belted me in seconds. After 3 or 4 strokes it's relaxed and slunk off the back of the bank and I scratched into the next wave. Put me off the dawn patrol for a while.
Worst wipeout was at massive Sharkpit at Lano aged 14 or so. It was huuuuge, one solid close out from Eddy's to Lano Island, only time I've ever seen it do it. The only surfable wave was Sharkpit, 1/2 a k or so SW of Eddy's. Inside section was easy 8ft and a mate and I scraped into a couple there before paddling out the back to where we could see these massive perfect peaks peeling off.
Made it out ok and I've gone to take off on a lamp post sized peak and as I got up it petered out and I went "ohh O!"
realising that what we'd seen breaking must've been heaps bigger. Turned around and there's just this THING rearing up 80m further out. Took half a dozen breaths and went for the bottom, got fkn mowed, broke my leggy, swam under the next one then got annihilated. Lip to the middle of the back, pinned on the bottom in God knows how much water.
Pretty much gave up and blacked out just as my head broke the surface, got washed into Sharkpit and hung off a cray float for an hour or so trying to get my **** together. Then had a 1 1/2 hour swim to get to Eddy's..
Meanwhile a cray boat had found my board a few k's out to sea and my mate had made it to shore and raised the alarm with the coppers who sent out search and rescue.
I eventually made it back to shore broken and battered. After weeks of back pain, ended up getting scans and had fractured a vertebra. Put me off big waves forever.
Faaark!
Totally agree with staring down the shark and not running or panicking, I have similar experiences.
As for getting smashed at Lano, that's just character building smicko.
Oh, and get rid of that avatar!
+1 on the avatar 
One time I muffed a gybe and I fell in the water and I thought there might be a shark just about to take a bite out of my leg any moment. But there wasn't. It was just my imagination.
Still terrifying though.
On Sunday a guy on a long board threw his board at the last second instead of rolling on a set wave. Missed my head by at least 2 inches
He apologised and i said thats cool, gives me something to complain about long boarders on the net
Diving for scallops as a teenager with a friend, dived to the bottom and started picking when I spotted a few more on the other side of a clump of weed, low on air I decided to swim thru the weed instead of over, I thought I ran into a rock as I went thru the patch, kept picking and surfaced multiple more times, then I thought that is strange I haven't seen my mate for a bit, looked around and eventually saw him on the beach, he was waving furiously and pointed down. I looked down for a shark but then realised the whole area was quite red around me, felt at my chest where I thought I had bumped a rock and my hand slid in thru my wetsuit and onto my ribs, it wasn't a rock it was a razorfish and had sliced so clean for 10cm and I didn't even feel it, well a bit of concern on the beach and 18 stitches later all good
was up in the Kimberleys and a mate and i were checking out Montgomery reef on his boat, decided to go for a skurf, we were probably out for about an hour and decided to head back to the boat, once on board we noticed several large sharks cruising around the boat 
On the same trip but back in Broome we were skurfing again and interchanging between driver and skurfer, a 3-4m hammer head cruised on by, we both required new underwear after that one. 
Select to expand quoteZachery said..
Diving for scallops as a teenager with a friend, dived to the bottom and started picking when I spotted a few more on the other side of a clump of weed, low on air I decided to swim thru the weed instead of over, I thought I ran into a rock as I went thru the patch, kept picking and surfaced multiple more times, then I thought that is strange I haven't seen my mate for a bit, looked around and eventually saw him on the beach, he was waving furiously and pointed down. I looked down for a shark but then realised the whole area was quite red around me, felt at my chest where I thought I had bumped a rock and my hand slid in thru my wetsuit and onto my ribs, it wasn't a rock it was a razorfish and had sliced so clean for 10cm and I didn't even feel it, well a bit of concern on the beach and 18 stitches later all good
Razorfish still inflicting some serious casualties Zac. Ended up with 8 stitches in my foot kiting down at carnage 2 weeks ago and a bloke next to me in emergency getting stitched up after getting attacked by razorfish down at Tulka. Not very comfortable in steelcaps ATM.
Scuba diving off a boat in Monterey bay California, I was heading for the bottom, head down when suddenly I felt like I couldn't get enough air.
At 50 feet I stopped and tried to get enough air and regain my composure, I sat there sucking in as hard as I could while trying to remain calm. I was in some sort of panic at 50 feet, every instinct in me wanted to shoot to the surface, finally I was able to calm down and slow my breathing.
Apparently this happens to many people and I am told made worse by heading down head first.
Not a good place for a panic attack
