Isla was on a fishing trip in the Kimberley last weekend desperately trying to reel in a barramundi when a large crocodile suddenly made a beeline for boat.
But it wasn’t after the passengers – it was after her catch.
Wild footage of the moment shows the croc speeding towards the boat, then shifting trajectory to chase the flailing fish.
The croc went straight for the fish Isla was trying to reel in. (TikTok/@islabell96)
It goes for the barramundi, briefly snagging the line as Isla and other passengers shout behind the camera.
But the fish slips away, narrowly avoiding a second pass from the croc before Isla manages to reel it in.
She called the experience “absolutely mental”.
“We’d been out for probably an hour and a half and there were three or four [crocs] around the boat, actually,” she told 9news.com.au.
“This one was just watching us for a while, and then saw his opportunity in my big barramundi and came charging for it.”
Isla called the experience “absolutely mental”. (TikTok/@islabell96)
Isla said the crocs seemed “pretty friendly” and mostly just watched from afar.
“I must admit, I probably should have been more nervous at the crocs, but I’m used to having them around because I see them a lot in the Kimberly,” she said.
“I was more keen to just land my fish.”
But the barramundi she reeled in ended up being a bit smaller than what she was after, so they ended up tossing it back.
“We like to keep our waters pristine and we had another fish in the boat already,” she added.
Isla shared the clip of her unreal catch to TikTok, where it has since amassed more than half a million views.
Isla lives in Broome and was in the Kimberley for a fishing trip. (TikTok/@islabell96)
Originally from London, she lives in Broome with her partner, who runs a fishing charter and introduced her to barramundi fishing.
Though she’s still getting the hang of it, she can now add “beat a croc to a barramundi” to her resume.