An Australian man survived an attack by a saltwater crocodile while he was snorkelling on Saturday 27th May 2023 after the crocodile had his head in its mouth.
The man, Marcus McGowan, aged 51, survived the encounter while snorkelling at an exclusive resort near Haggerstone Island, located off the coast of Cape York, Queensland.
Mr McGowan managed to free himself from the predator’s grip by prying its jaws off his head, but he sustained lacerations.
Following the attack, Mr McGowan was swiftly airlifted to a nearby island hospital and later transferred to Cairns for further medical treatment.
Although crocodile attacks are considered rare in Australia, there have been a number of reported incidents in recent months.
Recalling the incident, Mr McGowan stated that he was in the water with a group of people when he felt the initial bite from behind. Initially mistaking it for a shark, he reached up and realised it was, in fact, a crocodile.
Through immense effort, he managed to wedge the creature’s jaws open enough to free his head. The crocodile, believed to be a juvenile, made another attempt to attack, but Mr McGowan successfully pushed it away, resulting in a bite to his hand.
The environment department in Queensland has announced that it will conduct an investigation into the incident. However, locating crocodiles in the open ocean can be challenging as these animals often cover extensive distances, travelling many kilometres per day.
