Photographer takes incredible snaps of crocodiles diving underwater in hunt for prey

Chris Knight is used to seeing wildlife play out before his eyes.

But these days, the England-based still photographer -- whose reputation abroad was built largely on short, sometimes daredevil, wildlife films-- has erred on the safe side of the camera, with a speciality in capturing stills of birds in action.

That changed, however, when Knight travelled down to the South of Mexico for a few days.

Knight, who is known for using his relentlessness to get a front seat to nature, followed his own dogged protocol and set out to capture shots of potentially deadly American Crocodiles.

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"I have to say I was a bit nervous but thoroughly excited at this unique opportunity," Knight said in an interview with Medium Drum World.

Prior to the shoot, Knight and his crew spent several days practicing their diving and preparing their equipment.

They eventually found a "sweet-spot" underwater on seagrass - deep enough for crocodiles to catch prey but still shallow enough for them to stand.

They positioned themselves next to a grassy bank where the crocs laid waiting as they prepped their cameras.

See images of the underwater hunt:

"Realizing that they were way more interested in the lion fish than us I started to relax in to it and concentrate a bit more on getting some great shots," Knight shared.

Drawing from his experience on other daring shoots, the wildlife photographer knew how to safely approach this shoot -- while getting the best shots possible.

"I approached photographing crocodiles in the same way that I do when working with sharks," Knight said.

And judging from the photos above, the crocs were more than obliging in cracking a smile for closeups.