But people the photo I posted above is real and while not as close as the enlarged photo looks that hippo was very close, maybe 30 yards or a little more.

We were in a canoe on the Zambezi with the bank behind us and open water beyond the hippo. While very likely the hippo if it moved would have headed to deeper water, if charging we would not have had a chance.

Also the stupid guide did not supply lifevests and my wife can not swim.

Sometimes luck or lack of it plays a big part.