Man escapes death by prying crocodile jaws off his head

Marcus McGowan (51 years old) encountered a crocodile while diving with his wife and friends on May 27 at Charles Hardy Islands, about 40 km from Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland.

Speaking to The Guardian recently, Mr McGowan said the crocodile approached him from behind. At first, he thought it was a shark, but when he touched it, he immediately realized he was wrong.

Người đàn ông thoát chết nhờ cạy hàm cá sấu khỏi đầu mình - Ảnh 1. — People swim next to saltwater crocodiles at a tourist attraction in Darwin, Australia

"I realised it was a crocodile. I pried its jaws open enough to get my head out," Mr McGowan said. "The fish then attacked me a second time but I pushed it away with my right hand and got bitten. I got away again and swam to safety on the boat. They came as soon as they heard us screaming for help," the victim said.

Mr McGowan estimated the crocodile was about 2-3 metres long and was immature. Saltwater crocodiles are the largest species of crocodile. Males can grow up to 6 metres long and weigh 1 tonne, according to Reuters.

Mr McGowan was flown to Haggerstone Island, 45 minutes away, before being airlifted to a hospital. He was then transferred to another hospital for stitches to his head and hands.

"When you enter the marine environment, you enter the territory of dangerous animals like crocodiles and sharks. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

Watch the crocodile swagger and disrupt the golf game

Commenting on the incident, an expert said that the crocodile may have been frightened by the man's reaction and let its prey go. "Crocodiles have the strongest bite on the planet but when humans fight back, they seem to run away. He (McGowan) probably scared the crocodile and made it realize that it had grabbed something too hard," said Billy Collett, manager of the Australian Reptile Park.

Queensland's Department of Science said it was investigating the incident. It said crocodiles are difficult to locate at sea because they often travel tens of kilometres a day. Kayakers and canoers are at greater risk, as are people standing near the water's edge or fishing. The area around Haggerstone Island is known to be crocodile territory and residents are urged to be vigilant and report any sightings to authorities.

Several crocodile attacks have occurred in the same area this year. In late April, a man was attacked while fishing in Lakefield National Park in Cape York. Authorities killed two crocodiles and found parts of the victim’s body in the reptiles’ stomachs.

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