In the early hours of Sunday morning, 18-year-old Lee De Paauw was finishing off a fun night out in far north Queensland with mates and some new friends, including a British backpacker, Sophie Paterson.
De Paauw and Paterson walked along the Johnstone River in Innisfail, a known crocodile habitat, with De Paauw joking all the while that crocodiles don't attack Australians. "Only backpackers," he told a bewildered Paterson.
Keen to prove his point, De Paauw jumped off a jetty into the river and was almost immediately grabbed by a croc.
But De Paauw has said he has no regrets. His response to claims he's "one of the stupidest men around"?
Still thinkin about the guy who was just "trying to prove a point" that crocodiles don't attack Australians and was… https://t.co/BowCGjXgtV
"I'm not really. I'm just trying to prove a point."
But the real painful twist in the story is that despite De Paauw's attempts, it doesn't seem like Paterson is actually all that impressed.
Speaking to Nova Radio, she said there was no chemistry between herself and De Paauw before the attack and that he is "too young" for her.
"Being attacked by animals doesn't really do it for me," she said.
People on Twitter were understandably shaken by the whole thing.
Flowers and chocolates don't cut it any more. If you have a crush on me, get your arm half bitten off by a crocodile or it's no dice.
Only a dickhead jumps into crocodile infested water to impress a girl. Should make him pay for his own medical costs. #moron #deadbeat
@JamColley mateship is when you get drunk and dare someone to jump in crocodile infested waters and they have to jump in because mateship.
I'm so impressed by this kid's luck. As an Australian, I've fantasised about having to fight a crocodile many times… https://t.co/hUMh5Yie4A
Of course, no one has really considered that it might have been the crocodile that was trying to impress Paterson all along...
Why was the crocodile trying to impress the girl?