Man Sees Paddleboarder in Crocodile-Infested Waters—Takes Immediate Action
A paddleboarder was confronted about being in croc-infested waters in Australia, leading to a heated exchange.
Shane Bates, 29, from Cairns, Queensland, came across a man on a board in the water where crocodiles are known to inhabit. Bates was left frustrated when he saw the paddleboarder ignoring the signs instructing people not to swim in these waters while he was at the local boat ramp at Yorkeys Knob just north of Cairns.
“I was there to have a fish, noticed the old fella, decked in his attire, kind of hard to miss, carrying a board, who walked down the pontoon and hopped straight into the murky water,” Bates told Newsweek. “That immediately flagged in my head that he must be a tourist or not know English—because there are signs around the boat ramp.”
The man paddleboards in the water in Australia, where an onlooker warned there are crocodiles. A TikTok video went viral showing the exchange between the two.
@batesyadventures/TikTok
In a video posted on TikTok, which received more than 1.7 million views in four days, Bates can be heard telling the other man to “have some common sense” as he is in “North Queensland.”
He can then be heard telling the paddleboarder to do what he wants, but “don’t blame the crocodile” if something happens. The other man in the video can be seen on a small paddleboard, talking back to Bates from the water.
Bates said: “I walked straight down the pontoon, called out to him to get out of the murky water/tell him about the signs, but he straight away argued. I began filming because I couldn’t believe him arguing.
“He didn’t take notice of what I was saying until a lady—the third voice you hear in the video—chimed in as well. He reluctantly and slowly got out the water. I personally haven’t seen that happen before—also why I started filming.”
Bates added: “What he doesn’t care about is the first responders who would have to deal with finding his body and that a croc would be killed for his selfish actions. A poor crocodile shouldn’t be put in that situation in the first place.”
Australian crocodiles are one of the most dangerous animals to humans in the country. The Australian government recently introduced new fines for people interacting with crocodiles with the aim of “balancing the highest possible levels of public safety with the conservation of protected animals in the wild by deterring people from engaging in dangerous or careless behaviors.”
Thousands of people took to the comments section of Bates’ video to share their thoughts.
Sherri Larson commented: “If I went to Australia I’d definitely listen to the guy with the accent.”
“I stayed in a very nice hotel in Cairns NQ and in the morning I was given a notice telling all guests not go to the pool area. There was a 15′ croc in the pool!” posted @Bluegirl1467.
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