Father and son in terrifying escape after their boat capsizes in croc-infested waters as the pair reveal the one thing that kept them alive

A father, son and their friend are lucky to be alive after the boat the men were travelling on capsized into a crocodile infested river. 

Albert Withers took his son Brayden and his friend, 23-year-old Connor Redshaw, on a fishing trip out on Proserpine River in Queensland's Whitsunday area last Monday. 

'It started off like a normal day,' said Redshaw.

23-year-old Connor Redshaw at Prosperine Hospital, suffering cuts and bruises after the boat he was travelling in capsized during his first fishing trip on Proserpine River

The trio had left the boat ramp around 12pm, not long after they were treading water when the boat they were travelling on capsized

'To go out on the boat to have a flick and a fish on the river.' 

It was Connor's first fishing trip on the Proserpine River and certainly his most memorable. 

The trio had left the boat ramp around 12pm but shortly after they found themselves treading water after their boat capsized.

The next thing he knew the men were 'yelling and screaming' at each other to climb onto the top of the overturned boat, well aware of the perilous saltwater crocodiles lurking below. 

After floating on the river for what Redshaw described as 'a lifetime', the men made  the brave choice to swim hundreds of metres back to shore, despite knowing there were crocodiles in the water.  

'The boat was sinking, air was escaping from the sides' he said. 

Albert Withers has spent a lot of the time on the river having seen saltwater crocodiles up to five metres long

The men decided to make a desperate attempt to swim to shore, knowing they could not spend any longer in the water because they were bleeding.

Albert told the boys to stay low in the water, avoid splashing and to swim to shore slowly in order to avoid detection from saltwater crocodiles.   

Albert Withers sustained torn ligaments in his shoulder following the boat capsize on the Proserpine River

Having spent a fair bit of time on the river Albert has seen saltwater crocodiles up to five metres long.  

Despite swimming back to shore, their ordeal was far from over as the men spent the next three to four hours trudging through mangroves in search of help. 

With darkness setting in the crew stumbled upon stranger and saviour Bill Fudge who happened to be out on the river with his family looking for a missing crab pot.

The men are certain they would have spent the night on the river if it hadn't have been for Bill and his family.

'They were the last tinnie on the river' said Albert.  

Since the accident Albert's son has sworn off the river, sustaining a hematoma on his right thigh and a broken toe, while his friend Connor returned to work today with a few cuts and bruises.

Sustaining torn ligaments in his shoulder, Albert remains adamant he would go back out for a fish tomorrow if he wasn't waiting for his boat to be salvaged from the bottom of the Proserpine River.

'I told the boys everything is insured,'

'The boat is insured, our lives aren't' said Albert. 

The men are still unsure of what caused the accident, believing the most likely reason the boat capsized could have been due to a trim tab fault.  

Albert's son Brayden sustained broken toes and a hematoma on his right thigh after the accident