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(CNN) -- An Australian man was attacked by a crocodile that tried to bite his head while snorkeling in the sea at the northern tip of Queensland. The victim managed to escape the unusual attack by opening the jaws of the reptile.

Marcus McGowan, a keen surfer and diver, was snorkeling with his wife and a group of friends near a remote island in the far north of the country when he noticed something "had its jaws around" his head.

In a statement Tuesday, McGowan said he immediately thought he had been bitten by a shark, "but when I reached out I realized it was a crocodile."

"I was able to open its jaws wide enough to stick my head out," recalled the Gold Coast resident, who said the crocodile attacked him again but managed to push him with his hand.

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The boat that had taken McGowan's group to the snorkeling spot near the Charles Hardy Islands, about 40 miles offshore, heard their cries and came looking for them.

McGowan was rushed to Haggerston, a resort island about 45 minutes away, before being flown by helicopter to a regional hospital. He suffered cuts and puncture wounds to his head and hands.

"I was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time. I am grateful that it was me and not one of the children or ladies in the group," he said in the statement.

McGowan said the attack happened so fast that he couldn't get a good look at the crocodile, but he assumed it was a young reptile, about two or three meters long.

Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to six meters long and weigh up to 1,000 kilograms, according to the Australia Zoo.

Known locally as "salty," the reptiles are most commonly found in warmer northern regions of the country. According to federal government estimates, there are about 100,000 saltwater crocodiles in Australia.

Crocodiles were sighted nine times in Cook Shire in Cape York since earlier this year, according to the Queensland government.