A father of five says his friend dragged him to safety by his shirt as a crocodile twice lunged at him at an east Kimberley waterway.
Samuel Birch was untangling a throw net from rocks at a fishing spot on the King River Road near Wyndham when the two-metre croc attacked.
Mr Birch says he tripped when the crocodile lunged at him the first time.
"It got me on the side of my leg scratching me up," Mr Birch said.
"One of my mates grabbed me by the back of my shirt, lifted me out of the water.
"It had another go at me but I was up on the bank by then.
"I was in shock and I was in pain."
Fast-thinking friend
Mr Birch believed he could have suffered much more significant injuries without the help of his friend who pulled him to safety.
He said one of his friends froze, but another friend grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away from the crocodile.
"I was in shock all night, I couldn't sleep."
Mr Birch's partner, Jonelle Ketchell, said she was in the car when she heard a man yell out, "Croc!"
"I was pretty scared and shocked … thinking the croc would've climbed up and pulled him in," she said.
"We had a look at his leg; he was bleeding and had four scratches on his right leg."
People beware
A statement from the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions warned people not to risk their lives by entering the water of an established saltwater crocodile habitat.
The site of the attack is outside of the control zone where crocodiles are removed to protect the public.
But the area is well known to have a salt water crocodile population.
In 2016, a 68-year-old woman had her arm bitten off by a crocodile at a creek near the Wyndham townsite. The crocodile was later shot by wildlife officers.
