A MACHANS Beach woman got the shock of her life yesterday morning after jogging within 4m of the jaws of a "massive" crocodile.

Lana Lockyer was on her morning run on the beachside of Cinderella St near the mouth of the Barron River when she spotted what she thought was a log in the water.

"Then it blinked its eyes at me," she said. "It was massive, at least 30cm from its nostrils to it eyes. I freaked out."

She said she rapidly accelerated and when she turned around the reptile, which she estimated to be well over 3m, was gone.

But Ms Lockyer’s Jurassic adventure was not over as she warily made her way back down the beach she spotted another much smaller crocodile swim away.

She said it was likely that the larger crocodile was nesting in the area and warned people to be careful.

"On the weekend I saw parents letting three kids swim in the mouth of the Barron," Ms Lockyer said.

"Some people are crazy. It’s croc season."

Ms Lockyer's experience follows a recent double sighting of two 1.2m crocodiles on Bramston Beach, a 3m reptile on the Cairns Esplanade and an alleged sighting of 7m monster at Normanton.

A Department of Environment and Resource Management spokesman said: "DERM advises the public to be especially vigilant at this time of year when crocodiles are on the move during the breeding season, and when local flooding events can push crocodiles into areas they may not usually be seen."

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