A man in Australia freed his head from a crocodile’s mouth by prising its jaws open with his bare hands
- Australian Marcus McGowan, 51, was snorkelling with his wife and a group of friends off Haggerstone Island near Cape York when he was attacked
- He said he was able to save himself by pulling the crocodile’s jaws open ‘just far enough to get my head out’. At first, he’d thought it was a shark
Australian Marcus McGowan, 51, was snorkelling with his wife and a group of friends on Saturday off Haggerstone Island near Cape York when he was attacked, according to a statement shared through the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.
Recounting the event, McGowan said he initially mistook the animal for a shark. “But when I reached up, I realised it was a crocodile,” he said.
He said he thought the crocodile was young, probably between 1.8 to three metres (six to 10 feet) long. Adults can grow up to six metres (20 feet).
McGowan said he was able to save himself by pulling the crocodile’s jaws from around his head, writing: “I was able to lever its jaws open just far enough to get my head out.”
The crocodile returned to attack him a second time but he was able to push it away, but got lacerations on his right hand, according to the statement.
He said that after fending off the crocodile a second time he escaped by swimming to a boat that had begun to approach after hearing the group’s screams for help.
On the boat, a friend administered first aid, bandaging McGowan’s wounds and administering antibiotic shots, the statement said.
He went to surf in shark-infested waters. Bits of wetsuit were all that was left
McGowan was transported by helicopter to a nearby hospital before being flown to Cairns for further medical treatment.
He said in the statement that he was aware of the risks of swimming in the sea.
“When you enter the marine environment, you are entering territory that belongs to potentially dangerous animals, such as sharks and crocodiles,” McGowan said.
“I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time
According to The Guardian, Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science plans to investigate the incident. The department did not immediately respond to additional request for comment.
Crocodile numbers in Queensland have been slowly rising in recent years, with the rate of non-fatal attacks also increasing, The Guardian reported.
