Swimming with a Komodo dragon — Snakemaster Austin Stevens

For no particular reason I happened to have the Science Channel HD on this morning when I began my day on the treadmill.

I was just glancing up at the soundless screen every now and then until I saw the most fantastic large bright yellow snake, at which time I muted the boom box and de-muted the TV.

Turns out it's today's screening of nine hour-long past episodes (9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET) of "Austin Stevens, Snakemaster."

I'd never heard of him before but I must say I find him great company as I've been watching the past several hours.

Just now he was taking a dip in some sea en route to the islands of giant Komodo dragons to view them up close and personal, when all of a sudden while underwater he looked up and saw a massive shadow above him, swimming in the same direction.

He decided to follow it and they both sprinted for shore, at which time Stevens dropped to his hands and knees, exhausted, while the dragon raced off down the beach to an ongoing feast, where a crowd of Komodos was already well into devouring a dead animal they'd come across.

Austin said the dragons' sense of smell is so good that the swimming dragon most likely smelled the carrion from another island, then simply plunged into the water to get to the party.

Great stuff.

Science Channel HD is 217 on ComCast Cable, 284 on DirecTV.

Up top: His encounter with a Giant King Cobra, at the time the largest venemous snake he'd ever seen.