French fisherman fights off crocodile 'latched onto his head' Yoann Galeran, 29, had swum out to retrieve a moored dinghy at Nhulunbuy on Sunday evening when the 6.5 feet saltwater crocodile attacked, grabbing him by the head and rolling him in the water. A Northern Territory police spokesman said: "So very lucky that he managed to swim away. It could have been a lot more dire, the outcome. Saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to seven metres long and weigh more than a tonne, are a common feature of Australia's tropical north. They have been protected since the 1970s and their numbers have increased steadily since, along with the number of human encounters.