A Big Fish Expeditions Trip Report
By BFE Trip Leader Andy Murch
A very successful Anaconda Scuba Diving Trip
A great year for anacondas! We explored some beautiful sections of the Rio Formoso and Rio Sucuri and dove with anacondas on 4 out of 5 days.
Instant Anaconda Action
Although the week started with an unexpected cold spell, it still only took us about 15 minutes to find our first anaconda; a hefty 4.5m female, that we spent around an hour with before she swum into her den under the bank of the Rio Formoso.
Day Two: The Big Chill
Overnight, the temperature dropped to 7ºC which is extremely cold for southern Brazil. Not surprisingly, we did not find any anacondas out of their dens, but we spent the day drifting down a beautiful stretch of river in the company of brown capuchin monkeys, otters, and lots of colourful birds.
Day Three: Anacondas Underwater
The next day was considerably warmer. We chose a wide, slow-moving section of the Rio Formoso that has a couple of large resident females, but the first anaconda we encountered was a small male that one of our guests miraculously spotted entwined in the branches of a submerged tree.
It was a tricky spot to take photographs, but the encounter was still a good one.
Granaconda!
Further downriver, we came across one of the large resident females sunning itself on the bank. When she slipped into the water, we were able to approach and follow her upriver against the mild current. At just shy of 6m, she was not the largest anaconda I have ever seen, but she was girthy! Underwater she looked absolutely enormous.
Day Four: Three Anacondas
The next morning was even warmer, so it was not surprising that we saw three anacondas.
The largest was a 4m female that had recently consumed a capibara or another sizable animal, judging by the bulge halfway along her body.
Male Anacondas
The other two anacondas were males which are significantly smaller than females, but still quite impressive compared to most species of constrictors.
Day 5: Two More Anacondas
On our fifth and final day on the water, we drifted down the Rio Sucuri until it joined the Rio Formoso and then continued along the latter until close to sunset.
As well as a great deal of birdlife and more brown capuchin monkeys, we encountered two anacondas; the second was a lively 2.5m male (or perhaps a young female). When had jumped in to fruitlessly look for a small caiman that we had startled on the bank. During the underwater search we looked down to see our final anaconda of the trip, swimming at speed along the bottom.
2025 Anaconda Expedition
After such an epic trip, we can’t wait to return next year! We have two spots available on our August 15-21, 2025 trip. Join us there: Anacondas 2025
