Daring moment a fisherman swims 30metres in notorious croc-infested waters to retrieve his abandoned boat in front of stunned tourists

A fisherman who risked his life by swimming to his tinny in crocodile infested waters has survived to tell the tale.

Shocked tourists watched on in horror as a fisherman chanced his luck off Crab Claw Island in the Northern Territory last Friday, just days after a four metre saltwater crocodile relocated to the same Bynoe Harbour waters. 

Footage filmed by Darwin resident Gino Luglietti shows the man swimming as fast as he can to his boat 30 metres from the shore.

This fisherman survived a 30m dash to his tinny in crocodile-infested waters

'That is one brave dude,' a man is heard in the video.

'Is he going to make it?'

Onlookers are then heard urging fisherman on to make it to safety.

'Ten metres, come on. He's getting there. He's pretty close,' the man is heard saying.

Mr Luglietti said the fisherman received a round of applause from stunned island visitors once he reached the safety of his tinny.

He can't believe the fisherman ignored signs on the island warning people not to enter the waters due to the deadly predators lurking around.

'I wouldn't have done it. I would have waited for the tide to go out, I'm not that desperate to go fishing,' Mr Luglietti told the NT News.

The fisherman received a round of applause from stunned onlookers when he reached safety

The fisherman came under fire from island staff and crocodile experts for unnecessarily putting his life in danger.

'It would be devastating to us if someone was to be taken by a croc or even bitten, especially through no fault of our own,'  Crab Claw Island Resort manager John Roodenrys told the publication. 

NT croc team manager Tom Nichols added: 'It's a bit of a silly thing to do and you're just risking your life, you never know if there's going to be a croc there or not.'

While the island resort 135 kilometres south-west of Darwin describe itself as a fisherman's paradise, swimming isn't encouraged.

'Always be aware of your surrounds and do not swim in any area of Bynoe Harbour – including the beaches around Crab Claw Island,' its website states.

There are an estimated 100,000 saltwater crocodiles in the wild in the Northern Territory.

Visitors at Clab Claw Island are urged to not swim in the crocodile-infested waters