Cairns spear fisherman believed killed by crocodile

AUTHORITIES say it appears a Cairns man who went spearfishing alone in far north Queensland was killed by a crocodile.

Photo of a wild adult saltwater crocodile in the Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia. Close-up of head.

QUEENSLAND water police have found the body of a spear fisherman who disappeared in far north Queensland waters on Saturday.

They say it appears he was killed by a crocodile.

Wildlife officers are now hunting the killer reptile, believed to be about four metres long.

The 35-year-old, named by the Cairns Post as local man Warren Hughes, went missing while fishing at Palmer Point, just north of Innisfail, on Saturday afternoon.

It came just hours before a teenager fought off another crocodile in an Innisfail river, after jumping in on a dare.

Mr Hughes’ dinghy was found anchored off Palmer Point on Saturday evening and his spear gun was found floating in the water nearby.

A weekend search for the 35-year-old failed to find any trace of him.

Queensland Police said in a statement his body was found about 8am Monday, just south of Palmer Point.

“Initial investigations suggest the man may have been taken by a crocodile,” the statement said.

“Wildlife officers from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection are targeting the crocodile for removal.

“Police will join wildlife officers tonight to search for the animal, believed to be around (four) metres in length.”

It is feared the man may have been attacked while he was in the water.

The alarm was raised just hours before a separate incident before dawn the next day, in which

an 18-year-old man was attacked by a saltwater croc after accepting a dare by his mates to jump off the Innisfail esplanade wharf into the Johnstone River.

Innisfail man Lee De Paauw, 18, punched a crocodile which attacked him after he jumped into the Johnstone River.

Lee De Paauw is recovering after his arm was mauled and he’s considered incredibly lucky to be alive.

Authorities will resume an air and marine search for the missing spearfisherman on Monday morning.

Just last month, another spearfisherman was attacked by a shark in far north Queensland.

Glenn Dickson, 25, lost his leg after he was mauled at a fishing spot known as The Rock, near Hinchinbrook Island, south of Innisfail.

Mr Dickson was saved when his friends pulled him from the water and applied a lifesaving tourniquet, before taking him quickly to shore.

Before the discovery of the missing fisherman’s body, Charles Darwin University crocodile researcher Hamish Campbell told the Cairns Postit was rare for the giant reptiles to attack in the ocean.

“They like murky water, they don’t like the clear blue, they don’t tend to eat in the open water,” he said.