After being attacked by a saltwater crocodile while snorkeling at an upscale Queensland resort, an Australian man escaped with his life.
Marcus McGowan, 51, described how he was able to get the predator’s jaws off his head while suffering lacerations.
He was transported to a neighbouring island hospital before being transferred to Cairns for further treatment.
Crocodile attacks are unusual in Australia, but several have occurred in recent months.
Mr McGowan stated that he was swimming with a group of people about 28 kilometers (17.3 miles) off Haggerstone Island near Cape York when he was bitten from behind.
“I thought it was a shark until I reached up and saw it was a crocodile.” In a statement, he stated, “I was able to lever its jaws open just far enough to get my head out.”
The crocodile, which he assumed was a juvenile, returned for another go, but he was able to push it away, despite sustaining a bite to his hand.
According to Queensland’s environment agency, the event will be investigated, but “crocodiles in the open ocean can be difficult to locate as the animals often travel tens of kilometers per day.”
Haggerstone Island Resort is a “family-owned, exclusive luxury resort.” The entire island, located 600 kilometers north of Cairns, may be rented for $7,600 (£4,063; $US4,979) each night.
Crocodiles are widespread in Australia’s tropical north, which has recently suffered a spate of assaults.
Rangers shot a 4.2m (13.4ft) crocodile that attacked and ate a man’s dog at a secluded boat ramp north of Cairns in February.
Earlier this month, the bones of 65-year-old fisherman Kevin Darmody were discovered inside a 4.1m crocodile in the nearby Kennedy River, marking the 13th fatal attack in Queensland since records began in 1985.
“Problem crocodiles” are evacuated from regions where they endanger public safety and, in rare cases, euthanized under Queensland’s management program.
Since crocodile hunting was prohibited in 1974, the state’s crocodile population has increased from 5,000 to over 30,000.
