Predator Eyes & Sunset Lies 🐫
Kimberley, Australia Expedition Day 3 of 14
Written by Scott David Martin | May 1, 2023
The Dash [ - ] goes behind the scenes of a WABU filmmaking expedition in the remote Northwest region of Australia, The Kimberley. In this 14-part series, we’ll share the highs and lows, from marathon shoots aboard luxurious yachts to heart-stopping encounters with nature's fiercest creatures.
Dinosaurs in the water at Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Center
©SEABOURN | 📷 C . Trantina
I’m kneeling behind a telephoto lens.
Sweat dripping into my eye, whispering…
Just blink.
Just once.
The mission is clear:
Perfect light.
Perfect timing.
We need an extreme close-up of a croc’s eye opening.
Broome, Australia 17.9618° S, 122.2370° E
WABU Director Scott capturing crocs with Arri Alexa Mini
The Shot Clock is Always Running
We need three things to line up:
The crocodile
The sun
The handler
We’re on-site early, scouting angles, prepping rigs, and reading light.
BUT with wildlife, luck is sometimes the best-case scenario.
And the biggest liability.
Still, we don’t gamble blindly.
WABU lives by a code:
"On time is late."
A habit drilled into me by my high school baseball coach.
I can hear him now.
We’ll get more done in 2 hours than other teams will in 4…
Because we hustle.
That stuck.
Anywhere WABU goes, WABU hustles.
Our clients don’t show up with unlimited budgets or infinite schedules.
They show up with problems. And trust.
BUT trust has a clock.
WABU Writer & Production Manager Andrew with Crocodile Handler Doug
Enter Doug: Croc Whisperer
Doug, our handler, greets us with a grin and a tone that says:
You're about to see some stuff.
He waves toward the water…
“We’ve got 70 crocs in this pond.
70 in the other, and 40 more in the pelican lakes.
You tell me what you need…I’ll make it happen.”
It’s game on.
We get the eye shot.
It was quick.
Precise.
Beautiful.
But we had a decision to make:
Head to Roebuck Bay with the talent…
Or stay and push our luck?
Drone vs. Predator
We’ve flown drones on six continents.
BUT around crocs…this is a first.
From the sky, they look like shadows stitched into the water.
Still. Silent.
Chris nudges the drone in for a better angle.
Closer…
Closer.
BAM!
A crocodile launches out of the water like a missile.
Straight up.
Mouth open.
Inches from impact.
One second, stillness. The next, violence.
Chris’s voice crackles over the radio:
“Holy s—we got it.”
Another shot in the can.
✅ Crocodile Jumping
✅ Extreme Close Up of Crocodile Eye
Bloody Americans & the Art of Letting Go
Doug had one last surprise.
“You seen our Americans yet?”
We follow him to a second enclosure.
Alligators. Dozens of them.
I stand beside Andrew and watch Doug walk casually…and I mean casually.
Up to a full-grown American alligator like it was a Labrador.
He kneels. He pets it.
My jaw is somewhere near the ground.
He leans in and smirks:
“Absolutely terrifying. Bloody Americans.”
We all laugh, half from the joke, half from the fact we were still in one piece.
Cable Beach: The Shot That Wasn't
The final stop of the day: Cable Beach at sunset.
World-famous. Always photogenic.
Locals told us there were only a handful of days each year when the sunset underwhelms.
BUT apparently, we found one.
Clouds roll in. The light never hits.
No golden glow. No silhouett camels.
No magic.
Disappointed? Sure.
Defeated? Not even close.
WABU driving local-style, 4X4 on the beach
WABU Day 3 Lessons:
Nature plays by its own rules. Always.
Sometimes the shot we miss teaches us more than the ones we nail.
Urgency isn’t pressure, it’s respect for the time you’ve been given.
These Water Buffaloes know exactly what it takes to show up, deliver, and lead like world-class teammates.
Up next on The Dash (—):
Tomorrow, we board the Akiko.
And tomorrow, the real expedition begins.