Dive Traveler O
f the 10,000 to 20,000 American crocodiles remaining in the wild, an estimated 700 of them reside in a shallow
lagoon on Mexican-owned Banco Chinchorro, the largest coral atoll in the western hemisphere. Dive Instructor Javier Salas from
XTC Dive Center in nearby Xcalak, has been exploring Chinchorro’s wrecks and reefs for more than a decade. A couple of years ago while anchored near Cayo Central in the middle of the atoll, Javier spotted a large crocodile swimming between the fisherman’s huts in search of scraps. After some lighthearted goading Javier and his friends plucked up the courage to slip into the sea to shoot some underwater images of the croc. All went well during that first encounter and after a little fine-tuning of the process Javier started promoting American crocodile expeditions to the extreme fringe of the sport diver population around the world. His enterprise presented me the
opportunity to compare these crocs with their northern cousins, which I’d encountered numerous times in the Florida Everglades.
Crocs Only Crocodiles and alligators differ in a number of ways. The most obvious difference is in the shape of their snouts. Alligators have wide U-shaped jaws that are designed to withstand the stress of crushing turtle shells and other hard-bodied animals that are part of their regular diet. Crocodiles consume a wider variety of foods, including fish, so they need a thinner V-shaped jaw that’s more agile and displaces less water. Also, an alligator’s upper jaw closes completely over its lower jaw hiding all of its lower teeth. A crocodile’s upper and lower jaws are about the same size so both sets of teeth remain exposed when its mouth snaps shut. More importantly in terms of
habitat utilization, crocodiles have functioning salt glands on their tongues; these are modified salivary ducts that aid ‘osmoregulation’ or the control of salt concentrations in body water content. Similar to rectal glands in sharks and rays, the glands excrete excess salt that the animals take on while living in a saline environment. Alligators have lost this
28 Magazine
A 6.5-foot (2m) croc shows off its laughing gear in the atoll shallows
The ‘Hotel Chinchorro’
ability, so although they sometimes venture offshore, they are unable to survive in saltwater for long periods. Consequently, salty Chinchorro is a crocodile-only habitat. The crocodile encounters in
Chinchorro take place next to a rustic fishermen’s shack located on the western edge of Cayo Central, largest of the atoll’s three islands. Conditions at the croc shack are
so primitive that many divers feel more trepidation about staying there than they do about jumping in the water with the crocodiles. The lodging consists of a large
room strung with hammocks, a smaller kitchen with a stove but no running water and an outhouse containing a toilet seat nailed over a
just about anything that they can get their jaws around
American crocodiles will eat
hole in the floor. If you’re addicted to lattes and Instagram, this probably isn’t the trip for you! When we arrived at the shack
I couldn’t wait to get started, but first we had to dive on Chinchorro’s fringing reefs to collect enough lionfish to attract the crocs. The diving was so good that our morning reef dives became a highlight of the trip that everyone in the group looked forward to. Among Chinchorro’s many
underwater features, are the coral
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