The need for speed, indeed!

An Australian kayaker felt the need for speed in a whole new way last week.

A man who was left stranded on a Queensland island after a crocodile attacked his kayak told rescuers he had never paddled so fast in his life when the beast sank its teeth into his small vessel.

The man, who is yet to be identified, was rescued on Saturday morning, four days after he had set off from Yeppoon on a journey to Stanage Bay, which is about 200km north of the central Queensland town.

His kayak was attacked about 3km off Townshend Island in the Shoalwater Bay area, about 111km north of Rockhampton.

“It’s croc country out there,” an Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman.

“He said it’s the fastest he’s ever paddled.”

There’s more at the link.

I’m not surprised he was attacked, or that he put on a burst of speed like never before. The saltwater crocodile is the deadliest and most dangerous example of the breed by far. We’ve met them before in these pages.  They were allegedly responsible for slaughtering up to a thousand Japanese soldiers after the Battle of Ramree Island in Burma during 1945 – probably their biggest body count, but by no means exceptional.

It’s a pity the kayaker couldn’t spare the time to measure his speed through the water.  He might have qualified for a gold medal at the Olympics!

Peter

1 comment

  1. I've seen some pictures of "Ginormouos' salt water crocs, truly prehistoric creatures that would put goose pimples on a mummy. Those pictures are about as close as I would ever want to get to them.

    I'm sure the kayak probably climbed the shore line a bit as well, maybe all the way to the street !

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