Two terrified men stranded for days in crocodile-infested waters in WA's remote north with dwindling water supplies, were forced to sleep on the roof of their car after a croc took an interest in their predicament.

It is the fourth time this month motorists have hit trouble in the isolated Kimberley region and needed to be rescued.

The men, along with their dog, were on a weekend fishing trip north of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula when their four-wheel-drive became bogged last Friday.

Police were alerted after they failed to return on Monday, sparking an extensive land and aerial search.

The men were safely located on Tuesday afternoon.

The men were running out of water when they were rescued. ( Supplied )

Broome Police Sergeant Mark Balfour said a close encounter with a crocodile kept the distressed men on the roof of the car for four nights.

"Obviously in the Kimberley here you've got to watch the crocs and snakes, and I believe one of the gentlemen said a croc did come close to their vehicle while they were out there, so obviously they were a bit panicky about that," he said.

Sergeant Balfour said the men were traumatised and running out of water when rescuers found them.

"They were quite happy to see us and obviously quite upset, crying," he said.

"Being out there for five days in this kind of country and with the weather being quite hot, I don't know what would have been going through their heads.

"They were quite fatigued, dehydrated and heat-struck."

Crocodiles are active at this time of year in the Kimberley. ( ABC Open contributor Damian 'Wildman' Duffy )

Tidal surges trapped men

Tourists and locals are often caught out by the region's tides, which are among the biggest in the world, regularly reaching around nine metres.

Trapped in the tidal zone, the men had to perch atop their vehicle as it was repeatedly inundated with sea water.

They were constantly on the look out for crocodiles, who are known to be at their most active during this time of year.

Robert Dutchie and his family were rescued after five days in the remote Kimberley. ( Supplied: Nick Sundblom )

"They stayed on top of the vehicle and went through about six tides which covered the vehicle on a number of occasions," Sgt Balfour said.

A family of eight were stranded for days on a remote bush track in the Kimberley earlier this month, forcing an Aboriginal elder to trek 60 kilometres to seek help for the party — which included his wheelchair-bound wife and several young children.

Robert Dutchie thought he was going to die in the attempt, but all eight members of the party were eventually rescued after five days.

'Desperate' woman drinks sea water

In a separate incident, local mechanic Warren Minshull spent two days digging a couple's Nissan Patrol out of wet sand near Crocodile Creek last Wednesday.

"The vehicle had sunk into the dirt, the only thing that was visible was the two wheels," he said.

Mechanic Warren Minshull spent two days digging this bogged Nissan Patrol out of Crocodile Creek. ( Supplied: Warren Minshull )

On the way back to Broome he came across a motorcyclist who had left her bike on a track nearby and was walking back to town.

Mr Minshull said the woman was badly dehydrated and drinking sea water.

"The fact she was actually drinking salt water, she was pretty desperate," he said.

"She'd walked seven kilometres, but she was lucky it was quite a cool day … it was only about 35 or 38 degrees. That's pretty cool for a wet season day."

"If I hadn't come along she probably would have started dehydrating majorly, probably hallucinating."

Satnavs 'give false sense of security'

Mr Minshull said the increase in affordable technology like satellite navigation systems could provide a false sense of security in the rugged region.

"People are getting more adventurous these days," he said.

"They can see where they're going these days so they're travelling further distances and getting stuck in places they normally wouldn't go.

"If you're going to go through that sort of country you need to be well prepared. Get your tyre pressure right down."