MY DEATH ROLL WITH CROC
Fisher tells how saltie stalked on dry land
IT’S the epic tale of the one that got away – only this time it’s the fisher who was the lucky one.
Off-duty ranger Craig Dickmann (left) says a 2.8m crocodile stalked him on dry land before grabbing him from behind and launching into a death roll.
A CROCODILE that attacked an off-duty ranger who was fishing from rocks at a remote Cape York beach stalked the man on dry land before grabbing him from behind.
Craig Dickmann is recovering in Cairns Hospital after he suffered injuries to his right hand and arm as well as his left thigh in a narrow escape from a 2.8m saltwater crocodile’s jaws at Captain Billy Landing, about 900km north of Cairns, on Sunday.
Mr Dickmann, 54, told how he had initially scoped his Jardine River National Park fishing spot – a rock shelf – for any sign of crocs, before settling in for a relaxed afternoon of angling.
“I knew there were crocs (in the area), so I stayed in from both edges by at least a couple of metres, and cast my line,” he said.
The Department of Environment and Science officer said about five minutes later, he noticed storms brewing to the west, so he decided to pack up his gear and leave.
“I’m reeling in, and as I’ve turned to go, I’ve turned to the left, and the first thing I see is this croc’s head, just come at me,” he said.
“I didn’t hear it. I didn’t know it was there, and I’d only been there for five minutes.
“The thing had come up the side of the rock, from behind me out of my vision, and had been stalking me from behind, on dry land.
“So I turned, it’s jumped and snapped, and that noise will haunt me forever – the snap of its jaws – it was quicker than your mind can register.”
THE BATTLE
A life-and-death battle ensued, with the croc’s powerful jaws locking onto Mr Dickmann’s left thigh, pushing him to the ground and attempting to drag him into the water.
Having read about crocs before, he said he managed to plunge his thumb into one of the reptile’s eye sockets, trying to get it to release its grip on him.
“These (crocs) are bulletproof: there’s no weakness,” he said. “The only soft spot I found was its eye socket, so I was pushing down on its eye socket.
“At that time, it decided to do its death roll.”
While the croc had started to spin its body, trying to dismember its prey, it suddenly released Mr Dickmann’s body, having only gripped soft tissue rather than bone, its teeth getting entangled in his shorts.
It then grabbed him on the wrist, with the ranger trying again to eye-gouge the animal.
“I pushed harder on its eyeball, and it’s done another death roll,” he said.
“As it’s done its death roll, it’s ripped all the flesh off the top of my hand, there.
“I remember looking at (my hand) later on and seeing how it looked like when you peel back the flesh, when they do those diagrams in anatomy textbooks.”
A third attempt at gouging the crocodile’s eyeball – this time pushing down as far as the croc’s skull – proved more successful, with the predator finally releasing him, allowing him to grab and pin the croc’s jaws and fling the whole animal away.
It was only then that he was able to get some distance between him and the croc, and escaped.
THE RECOVERY
Mr Dickmann has had multiple surgeries since Monday, with doctors noting the croc’s teeth narrowly missed his femoral artery in his thigh.
“I’ve got all five fingers, and they all move,” he said. “It could have been a lot, lot worse.
“People keep telling me to buy a lottery ticket, but I think I’ve used those points up.”
He has been given a course of antibiotics to ensure he does not pick up any bacterial infection from the crocodile’s bites – a hidden danger for any survivor of a croc attack.
He is likely to be in hospital for at least another few days.
THE CROC
The department conducted helicopter surveys of the area earlier this week, spotting the croc in the ocean near the attack site on Tuesday night.
It was humanely euthanised (shot), and its body recovered and buried in consultation with traditional owners.
Mr Dickmann said he was in the wrong spot at the wrong time, but was concerned the croc could have stalked another person at the popular camping and day use area.
“The croc was doing what crocs do, and I was doing what a person does,” he said.
“My fear was someone else getting attacked.
“This thing stalked me from behind. I was very fortunate to get away from it.”