Darwin fishermen in a tinny battled lightning while surrounded by monster crocs

ENGINE failure caused two fisherman in a tinny to battle lightning while surrounded by “monster crocs” in a terrifying eight hour ordeal.

Fwd: Ben Anderson pic

ENGINE failure caused two amateur fisherman in a tinny to battle freak lightning while surrounded by “monster crocs” bigger than their boat in a ­terrifying eight-hour ordeal on the East Alligator River.

Ben Anderson, 37, described the misadventure with his mate – known only as ‘Mr X’ – as a “long and terrifying marathon effort to return to the boat ramp” on Saturday.

“The trip was basically a ­disaster; it included catching large crocs on lures, a severe thunderstorm, no fish and an 8.5 hour journey (travelling at) 5km an hour with an engine that cut out every five ­minutes,” he said.

Mr Anderson said the fishing trip went awry from the moment they hit the water in a 4.6m tinny.

“My mate chucked in a line and next thing you know he’s hooked a 4m saltie,” he said.

“After that we realised all these monster crocs were ­sitting in the drains we were fishing in.”

Mr Anderson said the ­engine failed about 40km away from the boat ramp.

“The tide started going out and we started hearing this beeping warning noise from the motor, and it dropped out.

“There was only one other boat we saw the whole day but Mr X didn’t want to ask for help, and said the tide would come back in.

READ: DOG-EATING MONSTER CROC CAPTURED

“The people on the other boat cruised past us and I thought ‘these are the last people I’m ever going to see’.

“Then they disappeared and I looked over the horizon and saw a terrifying storm with pitch-black clouds. I thought ‘there’s no way out of this’.”

The fishos sought shelter by the water’s edge.

“We tied off to a tree,” Mr Anderson said.

“Lightning was coming down everywhere so I got myself in my swag like a sausage roll and curled up in the foetal position.

“There was a million kilowatts of that s--- and I knew it could vaporise my a---.

“Then the boat started going out on an angle because the tide was still going out so I pulled my head out to untie us and saw lightning hit another tree across the river, and ­realised that wasn’t the best idea.” Mr Anderson said the storm soon passed but the tide continued to go out as the pair crept back slowly.

“The river dropped another metre and a half and got really shallow, there were rock bars and mud exposed everywhere,” he said. “When it got dark and we put our headlights on, the eyes of the crocs really stood out then.

“At one point we hit a rock bar and it spun around and we lost our sense of direction ... so I had to navigate with my really dull light and had my hand in the air for hours.”

Mr Anderson said the duo eventually made it back to safety empty-handed.