Snorkeler Fights Off Crocodile After it Clamps Jaws On His Head: ‘I Thought It Was a Shark’

Marcus McGowan, 51, got attacked from behind while snorkeling and managed to pry the reptile's jaws off his head during the horrifying encounter

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.

Related: 2 American Tourists Attacked by Crocodile During Night Swim in Mexico

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.”

Related: 770-Pound Crocodile Caught at Australian Tourist Destination — The Area's Largest in Years!

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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.

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