Matt Martin said he was taking a drunken swim while camping at Cow Bay when he encountered the crocodile, the Cairns Post reported Friday.

"The water was only just above my waist when I went to dive into the waves. It was sort of like when you hit rocks but the rocks had give and movement in them," Martin said.

"The next moment, I’m standing up and something in my head was screaming ‘it’s a croc’ and I just started to back-pedal," he said.

Martin suffered gashes to his face during the ensuing struggle with the beast, but managed to escape the croc's clutches. He said he fell asleep for about seven hours at his campsite before he sought medical attention.

Although his injuries required more than 40 stitches, Martin said he harbors no ill-will toward the crocodile. He said the animal was only reacting to being jumped on.

"He wasn’t serious, he had all the cards and he played it soft," he said.