This is the scary moment two scuba divers have a very close encounter with the world’s largest snake – a green anaconda. While for most of us, this might be the most terrifying experience ever, for Bartolomeo Bove and his friend Juca Ygarape was a dream came true. They captured the encounter on camera, but for some is hard even to watch it.
Bove, a professional diver and a marine videographer, has always been fascinated by these underwater giants such as great white sharks or green anacondas – known as the largest snakes in the world. But while sharks are more easier to spot, it’s extremely hard to see a green anaconda in its natural habitat, as they usually live marshes in South America. But there is one place on Earth when they can be spotted, and that’s the Brazilian Formoso River, because of its crystal clear waters.
“The rivers and the bodies of water around the Bonito area are the only places in South America where anacondas can be found in crystal clear waters, and therefore diving with them is possible,” Bove said.
So Bove and Ygarape went for a glimpse of this giant, and lucky for them they didn’t come back empty handed. Deep in the Formoso River, the two divers came face to face with an absolute beast – a 23 feet long and nearly 200 pounds Green Anaconda.
Although it might be a little intimidating to see such a massive creature swimming next to you, the divers say that anacondas are actually very peaceful, and their footage proves it.
“The anaconda swims calm and peaceful, completely indifferent to our presence – sometimes she comes closer, curious about my camera [and] licking the lens,” Bove said. “The behaviour of the anaconda debunks the myth that it is an aggressive and violent creature that can endanger people’s lives.”
Watch the moment here:
Nevertheless, this giant still remains a predator and has to be treated with respect!
“It is without a doubt an extremely strong predator and the largest of all snakes that can react if threatened,” Bove said. “So they have to be treated with a lot of respect.”
The Green Anaconda is known as the biggest snake species on Earth. They can grow up to 27 feet long and can weigh up to 500 pounds.