An Australian wildlife tour operator attacked by a 'jumping crocodile' says he's lucky he still has an arm

Sean Dearly, 60, was attacked by a crocodile on Monday in front of 18 tourists on a boat on the Adelaide River in Darwin, Australia.

• Wildlife tour operator Sean Dearly, 60, was attacked by a crocodile on the Adelaide River in Darwin, Australia, on Monday.
• He told Nine Network Television that he was attacked in front of 18 tourists on the boat.
• He said he was lucky he still has an arm after the incident.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A wildlife tour operator in Australia says he's lucky to be alive after surviving an attack by a "jumping crocodile" earlier this week.

Sean Dearly, 60, told Nine Network Television that he was attacked on Monday in front of 18 tourists on a boat on the Adelaide River in Darwin, Australia.

The river is known for its large crocodiles, which jump vertically out of the water to feed on meat and poultry offered by tourist cruise boats, the Associated Press reported.

Dearly, who spoke to Nine Network television with his right hand and forearm in a cast, said he was trying to retrieve a pole he had used to feed meat from that fell overboard when a 7-foot crocodile attacked.

As he tried to pull his arm back, the crocodile clamped down on his arm.

"If it had gone into a twist, it would have given me a bit of grief," he said. "It went for another bite and it actually released its grip and I just got my arm out as soon as it released. So I was pretty lucky it dropped back down in the water."

Dearly was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for injuries on his hand.