Surfers hope cyclone will keep crocs away

TROPICAL Cyclone Lam has intensified to a Category 3 storm as it bears down on Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory.

REMOTE communities in the north-east Top End are battening down as Tropical Cyclone Lam intensifies, but the storm is good news for at least some residents.

SURFERS are hoping the big swell along the coastline of the Gove Peninsula will keep away the saltwater crocodiles that usually ensure the area is off-limits.