Rescue crews searching for a Cairns man who went missing while spearfishing alone in far north Queensland have a found a body.

Initial investigations suggest the man may have been taken by a crocodile, police said.

A weekend search for the 35-year-old failed to find any trace after his dinghy was found anchored off Palmer Point, just north of Innisfail, on Saturday evening. His spear gun was found floating in the water nearby.



It was feared the man, who has not been named, may have been attacked while he was in the water, with both crocodiles and sharks known to inhabit the area.

A new search was launched on Monday morning involving a helicopter, private vessels already in the general area, the Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) and Innisfail police.

The body, believed to be that of the missing man, was sighted by the helicopter and retrieved by water police just south of Palmer Point at around 8am.

Wildlife officers from Queensland’s environment department were now searching for a crocodile belived to be around four metres long.

In a separate incident before dawn on Sunday, an 18-year-old man was attacked by a saltwater crocodile after accepting a dare by his mates to jump off the Innisfail esplanade wharf into the Johnstone river.

He is recovering after his arm was mauled.

Just last month, another spearfisherman was attacked by a shark in far north Queensland.

Glenn Dickson, 25, lost his leg after he was mauled at a fishing spot known as the Rock, near Hinchinbrook Island, south of Innisfail.

Dickson’s friends managed to get him out of the water quickly before applying a life-saving tourniquet.