Some time ago, while browsing through the nooks and crannies of the net, I noticed a rather unusual photograph. It depicted a diver-photographer and his model – a giant snake. For many people, the subject might not seem very interesting, just another photoshop master, or a madman looking for death in reptile embrace. As an inquisitive person, and additionally a diver and owner of a sizable boa constrictor, I decided to check what is hidden behind this photograph.

Searching the internet I finally came across a blog “photo in natura”, belonging to a biologist – Daniel De Granville. As it turns out Daniel, together with two friends – Franco Banfi and Jiri Reznicek, took the photos diving in the Formoso River, near Bonito, Brazil. So there’s no deception, these are genuine photos of 7-metre-long anacondas, taken in their natural habitat! (After all, today shark diving with a safety cage has become a recreational activity).

As De Granville explains on his blog, the area he and his companions ventured into is far from cities (Campo Grande 186 km), tourist attractions and is in a zone that few have access to. Permits to visit this extraordinary region are usually only granted to scientists and film crews.

Anacondas are very shy animals. They avoid areas constantly frequented by humans, much preferring to hole up where they will not be disturbed,” according to Daniel De Granville. “To see an animal of this size, on one of the tours for tourists, is almost impossible” – he adds after a moment.

The expedition included photographers from China, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, as well as a representative of a travel agency specialising in underwater filming. The region where they decided to shoot their material is one of the most pristine areas in Brazil. The state authorities take great care to preserve it and scrupulously limit the number of tourists.

The first hours of our expedition did not spoil us. We had to cross several waterfalls, in boats laden with heavy and expensive equipment, we squeezed under fallen trees, we waded through dense undergrowth and all the while we fought bloodthirsty insects. Eventually, we found a place where our chances of observing these amazing animals increased significantly. We spent several days diving and collecting material,” the biologist wrote on his blog

As it turns out, the anaconda, despite its enormous size and deadly grip, is not so scary at all (could it be the influence of a famous film and lack of knowledge of what it was like with sharks and Mr Spielberg’s legendary production?).

It is a very tolerant animal. We spent over 40 minutes underwater in its presence, catching up on the next shots. If a tourist is dealing with an anaconda, it’s important not to block its escape route, frighten it with noise or poke it to move – this can only harm us.” – De Granville warns.

So, as you can see, the photographs that raised so many doubts and ironic smiles turned out to be authentic. Nature and man have surprised once again. It turns out that anaconda is a harmless creature, if we do not want to interfere too much in its world. The team of filmmakers, showing due respect to nature, got amazing pictures and, perhaps, began to build a completely different image of these giant reptiles than we had in our heads so far.