A father fought fiercely against a three-metre crocodile to protect his two daughters during an attack as they swam in Australia.
Eddie Sigai, affectionately called ‘Crocky Balboa’ by his friends, retaliated by punching and gouging the saltwater crocodile after the formidable creature seized his hand.
The 37-year-old from Weipa, Queensland, was enjoying a swim with his daughters Jennifer, 17, and Monica, 12, in a creek last week when the reptile clamped down on his left hand, pulling him beneath the water. Mr. Sigai recounted, ‘I thought to myself, “this is it…I’m dead,” but when you think about your children’s safety, it’s astonishing what you can accomplish. ‘It had a hold of my hand and dragged me underwater; all I can recall is grappling with it, shaking it, hitting it, and aiming for its eyes.’
For about three
hours leading up to the attack last Saturday, the young family had been swimming in a nearby waterhole. Jennifer described feeling ‘something big’ pass her in the water and instinctively placed her hands on what she thought was the crocodile’s back. Monica recounted feeling the creature’s tail brush against her as it lunged at their father, expressing, ‘I felt utterly helpless and completely terrified.’ Mr. Sigai, having swum in that creek since childhood, recalled watching a documentary about another individual who survived a crocodile encounter by targeting its eyes. While he understood the risks posed by crocodiles in the waters, the allure of a warm, humid day led his family to the creek. Following the attack, which ‘felt like it lasted forever,’ Mr. Sigai shouted at his daughters to exit the water.
With Mr. Sigai unable to drive, Jennifer took the wheel and transported her injured father to Weipa Hospital, navigating in second gear. He spent two days in the hospital due to bite marks on his left hand and significant scratches down his back.
by Milo Johnson
