Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am working for a tv production company based in northern Borneo, and we have been contracted to locate and film a presenter-led sequence involving salt water crocs either at the surface, or underwater - in both cases, we need to get the presenter in the same shot as the animal, and have enough time for him to do a piece-to-camera. Obviously, the safety of the animal, the presenter and the crew are of the highest priority. We are all professional u/w cameramen and have got thousands of hours underwater, however as far as I know this has never been done before. In order to do this correctly and safely, I need to learn as much about these animals as possible, particularly their behaviour in clear seawater conditions. The plan as it stands is to actually build a large enclosure, with deep water and haul-out areas for filming and for the croc respectively, and so we would be able to control the animal somewhat. However, ANY advice/help/info would be much appreciated. Anything from behaviour to enclosure design would be great! The more I learn, the more likely I am to actually go ahead and do this, and do it safely. Many thanks in advance, Matt Oldfield, Scubazoo Images. BTW - this is NOT a Crocodile Hunter shoot!

Matt,

This might be a good place to start:

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/cnhc/abritton.html