A woman was left shocked after enjoying a dip in a creek and returning home to discover a crocodile lurking in the water next to her in the video of her day out.
The woman decided to take a dip in Rollingstone Creek near Townsville, North Queensland, to cool off during a hot weekend.
While in the water, she took several underwater photos and videos.
She then returned home and was reviewing the footage when she realized a crocodile was lurking just meters away from where she had been swimming.
A woman had an encounter with a crocodile (pictured) while taking a dip in a creek to cool off
The woman was swimming in Rollingstone Creek (pictured) near Townsville
The terrifying discovery prompted the woman to inform Queensland Department of Environment Science and Innovation (DESI) officials last Friday.
DESI senior wildlife officer Tony Frisby confirmed she had seen a crocodile.
“The person told us she had been swimming on a flotation device and taking underwater photos of the clear water below,” Mr Frisby said.
“When she got home and looked at the photos, she saw what she thought was a crocodile and did the right thing by reporting it.”
Mr Frisby said swimmers visiting the creek should not assume the reptiles are not found in the freshwater portion of rivers and creeks.
“Crocodiles are highly mobile and travel upstream in our rivers and creeks to obtain fresh water and feed on animals that come to the banks to drink,” he said.
“You never know what’s lurking in the waterways, and people really need to make wise choices when they’re on the water in Croc Country.”
Conservationists conducted a drone survey of the creek and land surrounding the water in an attempt to detect the creature.
The swimmer took several photos from her day out on the water and spotted the crocodile (pictured) when she looked at the photos after finishing her swim
The officers did not find the reptile.
Mr Frisby said crocodiles often travel upstream in search of food and fresh water.
The freshwater section of Rollingstone Creek where the crocodile was spotted is known as Zone E.
These zones mean that if a crocodile exhibits dangerous behavior, the reptile will be removed from the area by rangers.
Swimmers have been warned to protect themselves at all times and obey warning signs when visiting waterways known to be crocodile habitat.
DESI has urged anyone who sees a crocodile to report the sighting to department officials as soon as possible.
A crocodile sighting can be reported via the QWildlife app, by submitting a crocodile sighting report on the DESI website or by making a report by telephone.