Nerves of steel: Diver Israel Gonzalez got close enough to be tolerated for over two hours by an American crocodile off the coast of CubaJust off the coast of Cuba, a diver displays nerves of steel as he swims alongside an 11ft, 1,000lb crocodile.
Risking his life for the potentially deadly experience, diver Israel Gonzalez, 31, got close enough to be tolerated for over two hours by one of nature's most lethal killing machines.
Swimming in an area known as The Queen's Gardens, the lone female crocodile was returning to her nest on one of the 50 or so tiny islands that make up the offshore paradise
Around 60miles from the south coast of Cuba, Mr Gonzalez and underwater photographer David Doubilet matched the enormous crocodile for pace during their encounter.
'This crocodile exhibited very benign behaviour for such a notorious predator,' said Mr Doubilet.
'As a wildlife photography opportunity this was extremely exciting to capture not only the rare and overlooked American crocodile, but also to run the gauntlet with the animal.
'Honestly after the initial rush when we encountered the crocodile, our levels of fear dropped down quite considerably.'
Best friends: Mr Gonzalez had trawled the area searching for the rare reptile, who proved remarkably 'benign'
Photographer: David DoubiletTravelling to The Queen's Gardens with a diving team, which also included local Cuban fishermen familiar with the area, the pair trawled the island chain for the elusive American crocodile.
'Most people don't know that there are crocodiles which live in the Americas,' explained Mr Doubilet.
'They assume that they live only in Egypt, in sub-Saharan Africa and Australia.
'However, there are around 1,500 American crocodiles living in Florida and the same number across Central America and South America.
'They are classed as a threatened species.'
Gliding alongside the croc, Mr Doubilet and Mr Gonzalez were aware that at any minute the situation could turn life threatening.
'Unfortunately we had no protection on us. No sticks, no harpoons, nothing that would have saved our lives had the crocodiles turned nasty,' said David.
'But we were not unduly worried. We were careful to know our limits and not to stress the creature.
'We were there to observe this rare occurrence
source: dailymail