November Dispatch
Into the Heart of the Everglades
November was a month spent deeper in the backcountry than ever before. Long days paddling through Florida Bay and the coastal Everglades, camera gear strapped down, chasing light and wildlife for King of the Everglades.
The bay gave us front-row seats to roseate spoonbills wading through the shallows, brown pelicans diving hard into the water, and osprey hauling unfortunate fish back to the mainland. Every paddle stroke revealed something worth documenting. This is what November looks like when you’re filming a documentary: early mornings, sore shoulders, and moments that make you forget how tired you are.
But the real milestone came at Nine Mile Pond.
After months of attempts, we finally had our first encounter with Croczilla, the legendary American crocodile and star of our documentary. Supposedly the largest crocodile in the Everglades, and now we’ve seen him up close. Sixteen feet of prehistoric muscle, close enough to count the scutes on his back. It’s the kind of moment you chase for so long you start to wonder if it’ll ever happen. And then it does.
We’re working hard on our first behind-the-scenes featurette, Chasing Croczilla, which will give you a look at what production has been like so far and what we’ve encountered on this journey to film our first big documentary project. It’s coming soon, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
Visit our website xplorist.org for more information on King of the Everglades and other upcoming documentary projects we’re working on.
Thanks for following along. More from the field soon.
—Xander