Alligator Attacks and Encounters With kayakers

Alligator attacks on kayakers are rather rare, thankfully. However, as you will see below, they do happen.

I came across the following video clips where kayakers are attacked by alligators and had to fend for themselves. Many of these instances were surprise events that caught the kayakers completely off-guard. I would say, for the most part, everything turned out alright for these kayakers.

That being said, I am sure that these kayakers had to be aware of the potential for alligator attacks. I wouldn’t want to imagine them being in inflatable kayaks during these encounters though.

In the following clip a kayaker is startled when an alligator flips his kayak. (Waccamaw NC.)

Kayak fisherman nabs the unexpected in the clip below and freaks out.

What to do if an alligator attacks you while kayaking.

If you do have a gator encounter, she suggests staying calm and respecting its territory

“Say you’re kayaking, and you see an alligator, just keep going past it. Give it a wide berth, as much as the space will allow,” Andrews said.

“Don’t take the paddles and slap the water. Sometimes people do that to scare the alligator off,” but you’re actually indicating you’re a direct threat.

“If for some reason they start to swim toward you … usually try to go in the other direction and just show you’re not interested. Or paddle right on by and ignore the animal.”

Also, never mess with the reptiles’ children.

“We always tell people that those one-foot baby alligators, even though they’re so cute, they’re the most dangerous sized alligator to mess with.” That’s because there’s possibly a nearby mother ready to protect her young.

H/T – “How to survive an alligator attack — or better yet, avoid one entirely” – cnn.com

Paddle boarders can encounter alligators as well.

Watch the following video clip where a woman confidently pushes an alligator away.

I must say that the woman in this video knows a thing or two about alligators. She was very calm and confident in pushing away the alligator in a central Florida park. What’s interesting is that she makes the keen observation that this alligators were probably fed by humans and that that is very dangerous for others.

Watch the following video. It is a collection of alligator/ kayaker incidents that were caught on video.

Read more about surviving an alligator attack here on cnn.com.

Images Source: YouTube Clips 1, 2, 3, 4