A man who was bitten on the head by a crocodile in Far North Queensland is expected to make a full recovery.

The 33-year-old was snorkelling off a beach at Lizard Island, on the Great Barrier Reef north of Cooktown, on Wednesday afternoon when he was attacked by a two-metre saltwater crocodile.

The attack happened when the man was in deep water, about 50 metres offshore.

He was flown by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Cairns Hospital, with injuries to his head and neck.

He remains in a stable condition in hospital.

The Lizard Island resort is closed due to COVID rules. Photo: Getty

Delaware North, operators of Lizard Island Resort, released a statement saying the incident was rare and the man was expected to make a full recovery.

Wildlife officers from the Queensland Environment Department will travel to Lizard Island on Friday to search for and remove the crocodile.

“Lizard Island Resort management received notification that an individual swimming on one of the island beaches had received a bite from a suspected crocodile, resulting in wounds to the upper body area,” the statement said.

“Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service officers have been notified of the incident and are in direct contact with the resort management.

“We view this incident as an extremely isolated and rare occurrence, and emphasise that the current safety messaging provided to all guests and the resort staff are consistent with Queensland Parks and Wildlife’s advice.”

Lizard Island is closed due to coronavirus restrictions and is due to reopen to visitors on December 14.