A Queensland teen attacked by a crocodile after jumping in for a dare managed to escape its jaws by punching it in the head.

Lee De Paauw, 18, is undergoing surgery today after his left arm was nearly ripped off by the croc after he had jumped off the wharf at the Johnstone River at Innisfail about 2.20am.

It is understood Mr De Paauw had been climbing out of the water when the reptile latched onto his left arm, but he managed to escape it by using his right arm to punch it.

Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Neil Noble said initial reports were the man’s arm had been amputated in the attack, but this was not the case.

Mr Noble said it is believed the 18-year-old was “revelling with friends” when he jumped into the crocodile infested waters as a “dare”.

“Circumstances that led up to this attack are quite sketchy but reports from the scene are that he was dared to jump into the water, which he did.

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The group were reportedly consuming alcohol at the time.

“Unfortunately the area is well known for its crocodile population and we’re grateful that he survived this incident because it could have turned out to be quite fatal,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman said the 18-year-old boy was due to undergo surgery for “extensive injuries” to his arm.

“Initially it was reported that his harm had been amputated however that is not the case,” he said.

He said the boy’s friends were able to quickly get him out of the water which potentially saved his life.

“To get him out of the water was absolutely vital in case that crocodile was able to get a good grip on him and do the death roll and drown him which is I believe often the case,” he said.

The paramedic said the public needed to remain vigilant around known animal habitats.

“It’s really important to remember that we as humans are going into the habitat of these animals and they’re unprotected waters and we’re out in the wild, it’s to be expected that if you’re close to a shark or crocodile and splashing around in the water then you are in its habitat and to be very mindful about what you do,” he said.

Wildlife officers are patrolling the Johnstone River following the attack.

Officers from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection are searching the area for the crocodile.

A statement from the department confirmed the crocodile responsible is believed to be up to 3m long

A spokesman for the department said the Innisfail area is well within known crocodile habitat and permanent crocodile warning signs are located within the town and its environs.