Snorkeler fights off crocodile after it clamps jaws on his head: ‘i thought it was a shark’

An Australian man is celebrating after fighting off a saltwater crocodile that latched its jaws onto his head. The terrifying incident happened while Marcus McGowan, 51, was snorkeling at a

remote vacation resort in northern Queensland. BBC News reported that McGowan was able to force the reptile's jaws off his head during the horrifying encounter and was then airlifted to

a local hospital. "I thought it was a shark but when I reached up, I realized it was a crocodile," McGowan told the BBC about the attack, which happened while he was in the water

with a group of people near the remote Haggerstone Island. "I was able to lever its jaws open just far enough to get my head out," he added. The crocodile then launched at him

again, biting his hand, but McGowan, a "keen surfer and diver," according to CNN, was able to brush it away. "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 said in a statement to _The Guardian_. The area where McGowan was snorkeling is known as

"croc country," according to the outlet, which added that McGowan has now been transferred to Cairns Hospital for "treatment of scalp lacerations and puncture wounds on his

head and hand." “When you enter the marine environment, you are entering territory that belongs to potentially dangerous animals, such as sharks and crocodiles,” added McGowan, who

estimated the animal was roughly 2-3 meters (6-10 feet) in size. “I was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time.” _NEVER MISS A STORY — SIGN UP FOR PEOPLE'S FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER

TO STAY UP-TO-DATE ON THE BEST OF WHAT PEOPLE HAS TO OFFER, FROM CELEBRITY NEWS TO COMPELLING HUMAN INTEREST STORIES._ Billy Collet, the operations manager at Australia Reptile Park told

_The Guardian that "_crocodiles are the hardest-biting animal on the planet," but he explained that the animals do seem to let go when people fight back. "He probably scared

the croc which realized it grabbed something too big to handle," he added. The Queensland Government did not immediately reply to PEOPLE's request for information on the attack.