Swimming with Crocodiles Audiobook By Will Chaffey cover art

Swimming with Crocodiles

A True Story of Adventure and Survival

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Swimming with Crocodiles

By: Will Chaffey
Narrated by: John Rubinstein
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In the tradition of Into the Wild, here is the riveting story of a young man seeking his own truth and finding adventure in the awesome, unforgiving power of nature.

Will Chaffey is 18 when he boards a plane in New York bound for Australia. Taking time off to work and travel, Will meets an enigmatic wanderer and herpetologist. Together they cross the inland desert to the tropical northwest coast, home to the saltwater crocodile, a known man-eater and a predator who has been hunting since the age of the dinosaurs.

They devise a plan to explore the remote Prince Regent River, a trek so dangerous it had never been attempted by outsiders. Passing through harsh, primeval country, shadowed by their own exhaustion, and physically worn down, they find themselves locked in a life-and-death struggle when their food runs out and, unable to leave, they are stalked by a hungry crocodile.

Filled with scenes of great natural beauty, Swimming with Crocodiles is at once the affecting account of a journey into adulthood and a hair-raising epic of survival.

©2008, 2011 Will Chaffey (P)2012 Audible, Inc. Adventure Travel Australia & Oceania Biographies & Memoirs Adventure Oceania Swimming

Editorial reviews

Set in the wilderness of the Australian outback during the author's teenaged exploration of a remote river, Swimming with Crocodiles is one part coming-of-age tale and one part adventure story. Alongside descriptions of the author’s nuts-and-bolts struggle for survival, listeners are treated to expanded musings on life and the natural world, and fascinating tidbits of history and science. Performer John Rubinstein's dramatic delivery, combined with the author's smooth, matter-of-fact style, lends this audiobook the smooth feel of a documentary.
Authentic Adventure • Self-discovery Journey • Excellent Narrator • Fascinating Inhabitants • Heartwarming Tales

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The best true adventure/survival story I have ever read.

What other book might you compare Swimming with Crocodiles to and why?

No comparisons.

What about John Rubinstein’s performance did you like?

Everything. He is one excellent narrator.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Danger, excitement a true survival story against all odds in the wilds of Australia.

Survival, adventure, true grit and determination.

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Enjoying the guilty pleasure of “creature feature” escapist reading/ listening… I began this book thinking it just another retold story of life and death adventure of a foolish unprepared youth. And it was. However, it was SO much more. I thoroughly enjoyed the multi levels of adventure and self discovery this young man experienced. Very well written, with only a few annoying mistakes.. ( snakes are venomous NOT poisonous)…. But in the grand scheme of the story… a minor triviality.

Much more than expected

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Narration excellent. Good story. Looking for more from author. Epilogue was a little over the top for my taste and preference.

Interesting book

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I enjoyed this trip throughout Australia. I do recommend it as a good listen if those seeking armchair adventures.
The one thing I did not like was usage of “poisonous snakes”. The author, being Harvard educated and at least an amateur herpetologist should well know that snakes are venomous, not poisonous.

Great adventure

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This was a truly wonderful listen, filled with heartwarming tales of the Australian outback and its fascinating inhabitants. I found myself completely drawn into the adventurous encounters and the authentic, firsthand perspectives shared. The book does an exceptional job of illustrating what it truly means to live vibrantly, pushing beyond our usual boundaries and allowing our deepest senses—honed over eons of human evolution—to flourish. Discovering Will Chaffey's incredible Australian experience has been a real gift, and I'm now dreaming of the day I might get to explore that amazing land myself or better yet with my children in their teenage years.

For those seeking to abandon the “ordinary”

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