For surfers in Costa Rica, the threat of being rolled up into the jaws of a scaly crocodile is a real one. In 2016 a crocodile halted competition at a WQS event at Esterillos Este in Costa Rica not one time, but twice. In 2015, a visiting surfer was attacked by a crocodile in Tamarindo. In June, a crocodile cleared the lineup at Mexico’s big wave mecca, Puerto Escondido.
As such, it’s not surprising that Costa Rican phenom Carlos Munoz, who once sported the most radical afro in surfing and hopes to revive said afro upon qualifying for the World Championship Tour, has a healthier fear of crocs than sharks.
“We don’t worry about sharks,” says Munoz. “We worry about little dinosaurs. Crocodiles. We have a lot of crocodiles there at rivermouths and stuff. I think it’s worse than sharks sometimes. If they get you, they drag you like this and you’re done.”
That’s not to say a crocodile attack upon surfers is a frequent occurrence; it’s not. Even still, our own Chase Scheinbaum was kind enough to put together a quick little guide to avoid death by crocodile.
