INNISFAIL, AUSTRALIA — An Australian teen keen on a pretty British backpacker almost lost his arm, and his life, trying to get her to go out with him.

On March 19, Lee De Paauw, 18, was doing his best to charm Sophie Paterson, 24, a woman he’d just met. After drinking 10 cups of boxed wine by the Johnstone River, he told the girl that backpackers were more likely to get attacked by crocs than Australians. Calling him out, Paterson dared De Paauw to prove it. The young man then foolishly dove into the water, and almost instantly, his arm was between the powerful jaws of a saltwater crocodile.

Sinking its teeth into his left arm, the 3.5 meter-long crocodile pulled De Paauw six meters out, preparing to deliver a fatal death roll. His adrenaline surging and thinking he was a goner, De Paauw instinctively punched the reptile in the snout, and then gouged it the eye, a move that forced the croc to release its grip. With his arm fractured and useless, De Paauw then used his good arm to get to shore, miraculously surviving the attack.

De Paauw suffered two broken bones and two nasty gashes in his left arm, but after undergoing surgery, doctors were able to save it. The cocky teen also managed to secure a movie date with the blonde backpacker he so desperately wanted to impress. Meanwhile, a trap has been set to catch and remove the crocodile from the area. In an interview with Channel 9 News, De Paauw said “I don’t want the crocodile harmed. I want it to live a happy life.”