Crocodile attacks US woman, screams a headline of The New Indian Express , as we head for the Andaman onboard the early-morning Air India flight from Chennai to Port Blair. A small LCD screen attached to the back of the seat ahead of me plays Humraaz. I ignore the old Hindi movie; for, my focus is on the news: the partly-eaten body of a certain Louren Failla was found a few days after one crocodile dragged her away while she was snorkeling off the Radhanagar Beach in the Havelock Islands. Outside the peep-window, the wide expanse of the azure sky nicely meets the blue ocean below. Next to me, my daughter is busy watching Tom and Jerry cartoon. My wife is dozing off blissfully; so I choose not to tell her the shocking news.
Later we alight from the plane — and that evening we set off for the Marina Park. A group of local Bengali youth are sitting on a parapet that overlooks the sea. Monik khoka, Paataa saamle rekho; Hangor naa tene neye.(Manik, be careful about your leg lest the crocodile pulls you away). Manik shoots back, Aami ke sundar ingrej mohila ke aamar paa tanbe . (Am I a beautiful western woman that the crocodile will tug at my leg?).
My wife exchanges an inquisitive glance at me. I now narrate the croc story to her. But the subject never ends there. It pops up when we — my friend Nikhil and I — discuss my travel itinerary, a two-day trip to Havelock Islands. Radhanagar on the Havelock was adjudged the best beach in South Asia in 2004. “Everyone says it’s a crocodile, but I believe it’s a grouper fish that attacked the woman,” says Nikhil, who lives in Port Blair.
Grouper fish! I raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Oh yes,” gushes Nikhil, “Groupers are carnivorous and are known to attack human beings.” So, he adds, “your scuba diving plan may be disrupted till they catch the so-called killer croc.” This bothers me. Coming all the way to Andamans, and not going scuba diving. After all, one doesn’t get to do scuba diving every day. All the same, an unknown apprehension swept over me. What if the now man-eater croc were to appear when I go scuba diving or snorkeling or just swimming in the sea? The movie Jaws flashed through my mind. A killer shark there; a killer croc here.
Whatever, we went to the Havelock as scheduled. When we visited Radhanagar at 4.30 in the afternoon, there weren’t many people around. Sure enough, not even a single soul was swimming or bathing in the sea. Another tourist told me that the lifeguards had ordered everyone to leave at 4.30 pm. No one was to go in the water after that. What struck us though on Radhanagar beach was not the lack of tourists on it, but its pristine beauty. The white sandy expanse of the beach, the varied hues of blue and green of the ocean and the incessant waves frothing at our feet was breathtaking indeed.
While quenching our thirst at the nearby tender coconut stall, we got talking to Sumana, the owner’s wife. “Some people are jealous of our prosperity,” she lamented. “Someone has played foul, and has brought a crocodile here to prey on unsuspecting tourists.” We gave her a sympathetic nod. Later, wherever we went, it was the same story — all with exclusive expert comments.
The next morning, we reported to the Andaman Scuba Diving Club — dot at 8 am. Aditya, the owner and dive master, informed us that the hunt for the croc was on at Elephanta beach off Radhanagar which is the favorite scuba diving destination. “They have called hunters from Chennai and Australia,” said Aditya. “All they should have done was ask the locals, who would have produced ten crocs by now.” My query was on another matter: “What about our dive?” Aditya said we’d have to go to another island for that. “To Wilson, about 45 minutes off Havelock.”
After Aditya’s preliminary briefing and having tried out the scuba diving outfit, we sailed out on a catamaran for the Wilson’s. The sky was now overcast and every now and then it would drizzle. We sailed around the Wilson’s, but could not find any beach, courtesy high tide. It was a typical uninhabited island with dense mangroves and other tropical trees overhanging the shores. We anchored in shallow waters just off the island. “I think this is the best we can get today,” Aditya said. In a way, it’s good; we’ll be able to wade in from shallow to deeper water to see the corals. I climbed out of the boat — into the chest-deep water and waded across to the shore.
“Be careful,” Aditya’s sharp noise startled me. I swiveled around. “Don’t venture out too far inside the forest,” he reassured me with a wink. I waved back at him. Sharp pebbles pecked at my feet. I scanned all around with an increased vigil. Soggy ground, logs and branches strewn around — the ideal place where a croc may laze around till an unsuspecting Jack or Jane comes walking.
The plan was that I would go first and on my report, my wife, a non-swimmer would go in the second dive. After having kitted myself, Aditya made me practise breathing with the apparatus inside the water. Once he was confident about me, he held my hand and we gradually waded to deeper water. The water gradually rose to my neck, my face and before I could realise it I was all inside-sinking to the bottom of the sea. Inside it was a different world altogether. Finger corals, mushroom corals, stag horn corals — corals of various shapes and sizes unfolded before my eyes. Colourful fish swarmed around me. Clams shaped like corrugated lips would snap shut as I tried to touch them.
I looked up; the water surface was way up above me. Can crocodiles dive so deep? Here I was doing something that I had never done before; experiencing at first hand an entirely new world that I had so far seen only on Discovery or Nat Geo channels. If I have overcome my apprehensions to undertake a new adventure with only an oxygen cylinder on my back and a stranger as my guide and companion, can I allow myself to be scared of a killer croc? The novelty of the underwater world and the awe it evoked in me pushed out the undesired fear from my mind. I continued to explore the sea fans and sea sponges, feeling the corals with my palms and trying to grab the fish. I surfaced after about 35 minutes.
My day was made; I had an enriching holiday. My wife made an effort to go in but somehow developed cold feet just before the actual dive. That is another story. On my way back, I contemplated that more than the adventure, it is overcoming your unknown fears that perk up your soul and boost your self-esteem.
PS: I later read the killer crocodile was caught. But, how does one tell if it is the same crocodile that killed Louren Failla...
— kumarrohitcool@gmail.com