The moment crocodile sneaks up on an underwater photographer - PHOTO

This is the moment a disgruntled crocodile snuck up on an underwater photographer as he swam through murky waters.Octavio Aburto found himself in a compromising position when the crocodile appeared, bearing its sharp teeth towards his camera.The 40-year-old was taking part in an expedition to Banco Chinchorro in the Mexican Caribbean when he encountered the frightening reptile.'I had around three or four metres of visibility, so when I saw the crocodile for the first time it was almost in front of me,' he said. 'I had to stay calm so the crocodile didn't detect my presence. 'I just put my camera between the crocodile and me and started taking pictures while the animal was trying to come back to its refuge.'Mr Aburto was visiting a group of islands in the Mexican Caribbean at the time. The area is known to have the largest population of American crocodile known as Crocodylus acutus, with more than 250 living there. 'It was almost dusk and was able to take the pictures with a very nice light, but also I had to take some of them with very slow speed, so the movements of the crocodile was captured in a great way but maintaining the magnificent teeth that the animal has.'Mr Aburto has been a professional underwater photographer since 1994 and is now also a researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.He said: 'I have not done this before, but the experience was incredible.'I really think that the animal was surprised in the same way that I was.'Although there was very little time to think about what was happening, I never felt that the animal would attack me.'(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az