As a black bream tugs Kingsley Malarvie's handline, he is careful not to stand too close to the water's edge.
The Miriwoong man loves coming with his family to Ivanhoe Crossing near Kununurra in the East Kimberley.
But he is well aware that one of the world's most dangerous predators also calls this place home.
"It's good country but watch out for crocs. You've got to be alert … every time," he said.
"Ivanhoe", as locals call it, lures thousands of tourists every year.
In the wet season, barramundi congregate at the concrete barrier.
Often people, including children, wade out onto the causeway into the habitat of the deadly predator.
Their behaviour concerns wildlife officer Steven Leeder, who is based in Kununurra.
"It really worries me that people are putting their own lives at risk — people with families and loved ones — and that they're being reckless with their own safety," he said.
Crocodile numbers surge
Western Australia's Parks and Wildlife Service has serious cause for concern about how quickly saltwater crocodile numbers are rebounding in the Ord River.
The apex predator was nearly hunted to extinction until they were protected in 1970.
Their numbers have subsequently increased tenfold in the river — from about 200 to 2,000 — and have doubled in the past five years.
The trend is familiar across northern Australia, putting people and crocodiles in increasingly closer contact.
Ecologist Ben Corey said a spotlight survey scheduled for later this year, along the Ord River, was expected to show even more crocodiles moving into areas including Ivanhoe Crossing.
"Crocs are very territorial and the presence of much larger animals will push those smaller — 2 to 3-metre animals — to where they haven't been seen in great numbers in the past," he said.
"They're pretty much returning to the areas where they've historically been."
Rangers protect swimmers from traps
Kununurra locals love to swim, ski and recreate in the upper Ord River, about 15 kilometres upstream of Ivanhoe Crossing.
That stretch sits above the town's diversion dam, which was built to irrigate the Ord Valley agricultural area.
Every Monday Parks and Wildlife ranger Tristan Jessell checks strategically placed traps in the upper Ord River, which is regarded as a "saltwater crocodile controlled" environment.
He recalls with a smile when the last one was caught.
"Three years ago … 1.10 metres I think … feisty little fella," he said.
The success of the trapping program reassures those living in one of Australia's hottest towns that they can cool off in the natural environment.
As Mr Jessell rebaits a trap a few hundred metres from the dam wall, he expresses pride in his work.
"This trap's important because it's close to one of our local swimming places around the corner here at the ski beach. So, we get a lot of tourists around there swimming," he said.
Authorities fear the worst
Steven Leeder says while the trapping program is important, the state government's Be Crocwise campaign also plays a huge role.
He says many people in the East Kimberley are too complacent near the water's edge, especially those who grew up at a time when saltwater crocodiles were rarer.
"It's a real shame to think about the impact of what a fatality is going to have on the community ... those people's families," Mr Leeder said.
Saltwater crocodile fatalities in the Kimberley remain rare, with only a handful in the past 30 years, but an incident this week put the danger in the front of residents' minds.
WA's Parks and Wildlife Service continues to stress to tourists that saltwater crocodiles in the Kimberley can also be found in freshwater habitats, such as billabongs, situated far from the coast.
