A fisherman survived an attack by a 10ft-long crocodile after he caught it in his net thinking it was a fish.

Parwito Gopar, 41, stood at the shallow part of the sea to catch shrimp on the Sawmil Beach of Lampung province, Indonesia on Monday morning (November 23).

After throwing the net away several times, he thought he was able to catch a huge fish when he felt it tugging.

Parwito dragged ashore the net to check his catch when he suddenly felt a jolt of pain on his legs.

He looked down and saw the croc's teeth clamped around his calf as blood poured into the water.

The terrified fisherman scrambled to return to the shore with his injuries and was able to escape from the predator leaving his net behind.

He said: "As soon as my leg was bitten by the crocodile, I tried to kick it away and managed to break free.

"I immediately ran to the beach while my legs were bleeding profusely. It was a very scary experience."

The huge crocodile was seen swimming away into the deeper part of the water while Parwito sat on the shore and shouted for help.

His neighbours carried him to the Community Health Center where his wounds were cleaned and treated.

Parwito added that he knows that there was a crocodile habitat near the beach but it is one of the few places they can find food.

Tanggamus Police Inspector Juniko said they had coordinated the incident with officials from the Natural Resources Conservation Agency.

Juniko also advised fishermen not to carry out activities near crocodile habitat locations.

He said: "We ask the public to be more careful when doing activities in Saumil Beach and the mouth of the Semaka River. Obey the advice to avoid being bitten by crocodiles."