Shocking footage captured a heated exchange between a local fisherman and a tourist who was seen paddle boarding in crocodile-infested waters.
Shayne Bates was fishing when he spotted the elderly tourist near the Yorkeys Knob boat ramp in Cairns, Far North Queensland, earlier this week.
Bates warned the tourist about the crocodile warning signs that had been posted and informed him of a recent sighting.
The rower did not appear to be interested in what Mr Bates had to say before the pair became involved in a tense shouting match.
Bates uploaded footage of the exchange to TikTok on Tuesday.
“You’re in North Queensland mate, have some sense,” Mr Bates said.
‘Why don’t you let me do my thing and you do yours?’ the man replied.
‘Go ahead buddy, do what you want to do. “Go swim in the ocean, but don’t blame the crocodile when you’re done with him,” Mr. Bates replied.
The tourist (pictured) was captured arguing with Mr Bates and did not appear to be concerned about crocodile warnings being posted in the area.
He noted that several crocodile signs were posted at each boat ramp at the facility.
“That’s a damn crocodile sign seen recently,” Bates said.
Mr. Bates said yahoo He was surprised when he noticed the man arrive at the area and put on his blue suit once he got out of his car.
“He went down the ramp of the boat, jumped on his board and paddled,” he said.
“Watching him paddle in the murky water made me feel sick to my stomach.”
The clip, which has been viewed more than a million times, was inundated with comments from social media users who were baffled by the man’s behaviour.
“The thing is that the filmer (sic) is actually concerned about the well-being of a random person but the other one just wants to argue with him,” one wrote.
“The guy is literally trying to save his life and is taking an attitude about it,” another person wrote.
‘Yeah, the guy says it’s good. “Crocodiles will hunt you without a doubt, unlike alligators or alligators,” a third added.
Others said they could not understand the lack of concern the man showed about the presence of crocodiles in the water, while others said the act was simply foolish.
“I love (how) he wears a stinger suit but doesn’t care about crocodiles,” one person wrote.
Bates said he was frustrated by the aforementioned act as it unnecessarily exposed the tourist and the crocodile to danger if the man had been attacked by the beast.
“If they bite this old man, they’ll shoot the poor crocodile,” he said.
The Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) says DES officers or an “authorized officer” can euthanize crocodiles in certain circumstances.
These circumstances include situations where a creature attacks a person.
Rangers also face the difficult task of recovering a victim’s remains in the event that a person dies during a crocodile attack.
Visitors are urged not to use watercraft such as kayaks and paddleboards in areas designated as crocodile zones to avoid the risk of being injured or attacked.