Why this photo of a tourist paddle boarding in murky water in Far North Queensland sparked a heated argument with a local
Shocking footage has captured a heated argument between a local fisherman and a tourist who was paddle boarding in crocodile-infested waters.
Shayne Bates was fishing when he spotted the elderly tourist at the Yorkeys Knob boat ramp in Cairns, Far North Queensland, earlier this week.
Mr Bates alerted the tourist to the crocodile warning signs that had been posted and informed him of a recent sighting.
The paddleboarder didn’t seem interested in what Mr Bates had to say before the pair got into a tense shouting match.
Mr Bates uploaded footage of the exchange to TikTok on Tuesday.
“You’re in North Queensland mate, have some common sense,” Mr Bates said.
“Why don’t you let me do my thing and you do yours,” the man hit back.
“Go ahead buddy, do what you want to do. Go swim in the ocean, but don’t blame the crocodile when he’s done with it,” Mr. Bates replied.
The tourist (pictured) was captured arguing with Mr Bates and appeared unconcerned by crocodile warnings issued in the area.
He pointed out that several alligator signs had been placed at each boat ramp at the facility.
“That’s a sign of a crocodile seen recently,” Mr Bates said.
Mr. Bates told it Yahoo he was shocked to see the man arrive on the scene and put on his blue stinger suit as soon as he got out of his car.
“He walked down the boat ramp, jumped on his board and paddled out,” he said.
‘When I saw him paddling in the murky water, I felt sick to my stomach.’
The clip, which has been viewed well over a million times, was flooded with comments from social media users who were baffled by the man’s behaviour.
“The thing is the filmmaker [sic] is actually concerned about some random person’s well-being but the other guy just wants to argue with him,” one person wrote.
“The guy is literally just trying to save his life and he’s giving him an opinion about it,” another person wrote.
‘Yeah guy says he’s doing well. Croc will absolutely hunt you, unlike alligators or caimans,” a third added.
Others said they couldn’t understand the man’s lack of concern about the presence of crocodiles in the water, while others said the act was simply foolish.
‘I love [how] he wears a stinger suit but doesn’t care about the crocodiles,” one person wrote.
Mr Bates said he was frustrated by the lawful act as it unnecessarily exposed the tourist and the crocodile to danger if the man had been attacked by the beast.
“If this old man gets eaten, the poor damn crocodile will be shot,” he said.
The Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) states that DES officers or a ‘prescribed officer’ can euthanize crocodiles in certain circumstances.
These circumstances include situations where the creature attacks a person.
Rangers also face the grim task of recovering the remains of a victim in case someone is killed in a crocodile attack.
Visitors are urged not to use vessels such as kayaks and paddleboards in areas designated as crocodile country to avoid the risk of injury or attack.