Australian man frees his head from the jaws of a crocodile

A 51-year-old Australian man survived a crocodile attack by freeing himself from the jaws of the reptile. The man was later taken to hospital for treatment.

Marcus McGowan, 51, a resident of Queensland, Australia survived a crocodile attack by freeing his head from the jaws of the reptile. When McGowan was reportedly swimming with a group of individuals 28 kilometers (17.3 miles) off Haggerstone Island near Cape York, he was bitten by a crocodile and soon found his head inside the reptile's mouth.

Australian man survived crocodile attack. (Unsplash)

In an attempt to save his life, McGown prised the crocodile's jaw and released himself from its mouth reports, The BBC. "I thought it was a shark but when I reached up, I realised it was a crocodile. I was able to lever its jaws open just far enough to get my head out", said McGowan to The BBC.

Later, the crocodile came back towards him but he was able to push it away. However, he suffered an injury on his hand. “The crocodile then attempted to attack me a second time, but I managed to push it away with my right hand, which was then bitten. I was able to escape the crocodile’s grip once again and swim to the safety of the boat which was coming after they heard our screams for help,” McGowan told to The Guardian.

The diver was transported 45 minutes away by boat to Haggerstone Island before being taken by helicopter to Thursday Island hospital. Later, he was taken to a hospital in Cairns to receive medical attention for scalp wounds and puncture wounds on his hand and head.