This is the scary moment when two scuba divers get very close to a green anaconda, the largest snake in the world. Most of us might find this the scariest thing we’ve ever done, but for Bartolomeo Bove and his friend Juca Ygarape, it was a dream come true. They caught the event on camera, but some people find it hard to even look at it.
As a professional diver and marine videographer, Bove has always been interested in these big animals that live underwater, like great white sharks and green anacondas, which are the biggest snakes in the world. But sharks are easier to spot than green anacondas, which live in marshes in South America and are very hard to see in their natural environment. But they can be seen in the clear waters of the Brazilian Formoso River, which is the only place on Earth where this is possible.
“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 to see this giant, and luckily, they didn’t come back empty-handed. Deep in the Formoso River, the two divers saw a Green Anaconda 23 feet long and weighed almost 200 pounds.
Divers say that anacondas are very calm, even though it might be scary to see such a big animal swimming next to you. Their footage shows that they are right.
“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.”
However, this giant is still a dangerous predator and should 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.”
People say that the Green Anaconda is the largest snake species on Earth. They can get as long as 27 feet and weigh as much as 500 pounds.
