[imagesource:wikicommons]

Mark Montgomery is naai taai.

The Kruger National Park trail guide is reported to have escaped the jaws of a 3.5-meter-long crocodile in an underwater fight that would put Chuck Norris to shame.

The guide and his charges rested along the banks of the Metsi Metsi River on the fifth leg of the Kruger Trail this weekend when he leaned into the river to scoop some clean water.

It was then that he noticed the crocodile’s eyes leering at him from the water’s surface.

Unfortunately, crocs are as quick as they are ugly, and when the guide attempted to pull back, he found himself in the water, his hand in the crocodile’s mouth. What followed was a struggle that would have made Steve Irwin poop himself a wee bit.

With Mark’s hand still in its mouth, the croc began its death roll, dragging Mark underwater to drown him. But the experienced trail guide wasn’t planning on dying that day, and as the croc roll one way, Mark rolled in the opposite direction, fighting to get his hand out of the beast’s jaws while at the same time reaching over to get at its eyes with his free hand.

Eventually, the croc realised that he was dealing with a South African boytjie, and let the guide go. Mark wasted no time and frantically scrambled for the shore.

“At that moment I lurched to the surface. The bank was about 1.6m away. I lunged and lunged and grabbed the roots of a stunted jackalberry on the other side. In the meantime, I’m picturing this crocodile grabbing me from the back into the water. I lurched so strongly, I partially tore my right hamstring; the left one is bruised.”

Montgomery’s hand was severely bitten in the fight, but the guide is said to make a full recovery and will be back on the trail in a few weeks.

Trail guide wins underwater fight with crocodile in Kruger Park https://t.co/qlEn6UQZLT #ArriveAlive @TheEWT pic.twitter.com/VMeJHuf7lO

— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) May 13, 2023

The overzealous La Cost wasn’t seen again, but he will hopefully think twice before grabbing at an experienced South African trail guide again. Still, Mark is incredibly lucky to literally have escaped the jaws of death.

[source:thesouthafrican]