This is the moment a stray dog swam dangerously close to a crocodile in the waters - narrowly avoiding becoming its next meal.

Telisha Everett witnessed the incident while staying at a local resort in San Pedro, Belize.

According to Telisha, the dog was a stray that had been following her group around the island when it suddenly entered the water.

The animal swam freely until an crocodile appeared in the shallows nearby, startling onlookers.

Despite the danger, the dog seemed completely unaware of the reptile lurking nearby.

Telisha, from Waldorf, Maryland, said: "It was hot that day and I guess it went in for a swim to cool off."

"We noticed the crocodile at the same time that's shown in the video. "

"The resort workers stated it was in the water but we didn't see it appear until the last minute."

Telisha recalled the tense moments as guests watched the scene unfold.

She said: "We were all gasping and having a heart attack almost."

"We didn't want to witness the dog potentially being attacked."

The frightening encounter was quickly defused when a resort worker stepped in.

The crocodile eventually moved away and returned to the water.

Telisha said: "The reptile went back to his business."

"I'm pretty sure the dog had no clue what was going on."

The video was filmed in April 2022.