Diver Michael McKnight captures stunning photos of crocodile at Bitter Springs

Michael McKnight had already been swimming at a popular national park for two days when he noticed something moving underneath the surface. See the photos.

A diver who spotted the crocodile that closed down Bitter Springs was only a few metres from the reptile when he took stunning pictures.

Queenslander Michael McKnight, 63, said he had already been swimming in the popular waterhole for two days with his wife Wendy, when last Friday he spied the one-and-half-metre beast.

The experienced Scuba diver of more than 40 years, who has previously swam with sharks in Bali’s open waters, grabbed his underwater camera and poked his head under the surface.

Experienced diver Michael McKnight took this photo of a 1.5m long crocodile swimming underneath the surface of Bitter Springs. Picture: Michael McKnight

“I wasn’t really worried too much, I’m sort of used to it at this point so I was just curious more than anything,” Mr McKnight told the NT News.

“I got out of there pretty quickly, told the rangers and the police … within about two hours the pools were closed.”

Picture: Michael McKnight

Mr McKnight said the crocodile was “just minding its own business” and did not seem to be alert to his presence.

A retiree currently driving cross-country, he said it was “an interesting start” to his stay in the Top End.

Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife closed off the section of Elsey National Park last Friday and said it would remain shut until rangers can remove the crocodile.

On Monday afternoon the waterhole was reopened after it was reported the sighting was of a large freshwater crocodile.

“Following the closure, the Crocodile Risk Management Plan requires the implementation of three days of srvey, with no saltwater crocdile detected,” the post read.

The popular swimming spot had only opened to the public a week earlier at the official start of the dry season.