The 44-year-old Queensland man battled the creature while swimming in Lake Placid, near Cairns, on Thursday.
He had puncture wounds on each side of his face, but he was “very, very calm” when health professionals came to treat him.
“A crocodile bit his head, and in his effort to remove the crocodile’s jaws, he put his hands up to try to separate them,” paramedic Paul Sweeney told reporters in Cairns. “In the process of trying to remove his hands, his jaws closed on his index finger. He is a very lucky gentleman.”
“Just a few inches below and we have big blood vessels … if one had been punctured, the story would be very different,” said Sweeney.
He added that the unidentified man estimated that the saltwater crocodile was between a meter and a half and two meters (4.92 feet to 6.56 feet) in length.
Sweeney said the man swam in that area three times a week for about eight years. “It is certainly not a place I would choose to swim,” said Sweeney, describing him as a “fit guy” and saying “his vital signs were incredibly calm when you consider the ordeal he went through.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he ventured out into those waters again to get more exercise,” added Sweeney.
The Queensland Environment Department sent a team to the scene and said a “search for the crocodile responsible for the attack is underway”.
“Once the guards are in place, any crocodiles found will be targeted for removal,” they said.
Crocodile attacks in Australia are rare, but Queensland officials carry out a public safety campaign to alert residents to the risks of swimming or relaxing near crocodile-infested waters.