Snappy start for swimmers at Darwin pool

[janbo1960]

A 1.6 metre saltwater crocodile has been recovered from the Nightcliff swimming pool in Darwin.

The small male crocodile was in the pool area when swimming club members arrived about 5am ACDT.

They say the crocodile was startled when they turned on the lights and it jumped in the pool.

"We rocked up to training this morning at about five and went in, everything was usual and then our coach turned the lights on because no-one was here yet, and my friend Sarah and I and another girl, we were over at the end of the pool and my friend was like, what is that, and we turned around and this crocodile was just running and we started screaming and ran away," schoolgirl Lauren Burrow said.

The crocodile stayed there deep under water for the next two hours until Parks and Wildlife rangers lifted it out.

The rangers say it may have gone into the pool area because the seas nearby are quite choppy at the moment.

Others are not so sure and wonder if it might have been put there as a prank.

Parks and Wildlife officer Tommy Nichols says it is unclear how the crocodile got into the fenced off area.

"There could be a bit of human intervention but it is possible that he also - the water's extremely rough at the moment so you know they just don't like swimming in those conditions, it tires them out a fair bit," he said.

"He could have came up but there are some pretty high cliffs around there to climb."

The reptile has since been taken to a crocodile farm.