Crocodile escaper will return to scene

PERTH - A man who climbed a tree to escape crocodiles during a storm says he has no qualms about returning to the scene of his ordeal.

Stan Martell was asleep on his boat on the Lynne River in northwestern Australia when he was woken by a storm on Friday night.

Strong wind and rain pushed his boat into a mangrove tree, and eventually tipped the boat over.

Aware there were crocodiles, which he had seen earlier, in the area, Mr Martell took refuge in a tree.

"It was a bit hairy," he told the Nine Network on Wednesday.

Mr Martell said he believed one of the crocodiles "was 10 or 12 foot".

The other, he said "was bigger than that".

"I wasn't scared. I was sort of focusing on um, sort of surviving at that time."

Mr Martell stayed in the tree for about four hours, until 7am the next day, when the tide had gone back out and his boat was sitting on mud.

"I got down. There was enough room to squeeze under the boat. I grabbed the EPIRB and I let that off and that started a rescue," he said.

He was found by searchers at 11.40am (WST) on Saturday.

Asked if he would avoid the area in future, Mr Martell indicated he was keen to return.

"As soon as I get my boat back," he told Fairfax Radio Network on Wednesday.

"I love it. It's a beautiful country, the fishing is great. The scenery is unreal. I can't get enough of it."

- AAP