The first one has a lot of potential, but doesn't quite nail it. As Trever1t said there isn't much shadow detail and on the whole it seems slightly underexposed. There is also a bit much going on in the foreground with all the foliage, it's hard to notice the crocs hiding in there too.
Okay, I couldn't really get a better angle on the first one but I do agree it is very busy. I will keep the shadow detail in mind next time. Any thoughts on number 2?
The second one just looks like a 'normal' exposure, not HDR. Only speaking from a viewer standpoint as I have not really played with HDR imaging too much.