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

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A crocodile swims in an aquarium. The saltwater crocodile involved in Saturday’s attack was thought to be a juvenile, rather than a fully grown adult. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:19am, 31 May 2023

A man narrowly escaped death after a saltwater crocodile attacked him while he was snorkelling in Queensland, Australia.

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.

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