sportxlh
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A friend sent me the link at work. A rare and wild site on the reefs of wpb.
Videos |West Palm Beach News, South Florida Breaking News, Forecast, Video from WPTV
Videos |West Palm Beach News, South Florida Breaking News, Forecast, Video from WPTV
Underwater Photography :: TheLivingSea.com
PALM BEACH, FL -- A rare site on the Breakers reef. Lazaro Ruda had a unique encounter with an alligator at 60 feet below the surface.
He thought it was a prank with other divers until the gator moved its leg. He ended up getting video of it as it moved to the surface.
In his own words:
While diving today at one of the more popular reefs in Palm Beach I had an encounter I never expected. I had a handful of divers who I was guiding across the sand to the end of Breaker's Reef -- a patch reef called Turtle Mound. This patch reef has been very good to me giving me such amazing encounters like great hammerheads, numerous sea turtles, and tons of unique small creatures, but today it really went out of its way to impress.
As I cruised along the sand, from the hazy distance I could see a dark shadow. Not being able to discern its shape too well I thought to myself, "Holy cow! That's a huge stingray." This sandy area usually has some very large southern stingrays, so I swam towards it with my camera in hand. I couldn't believe my eyes. This creature was so out of place that I thought it was nothing more than a well planned out hoax by my good friends. I took a photo from a distance in case it wasn't a hoax so I would have some kind of proof.
As I approached closer I looked carefully at its mouth for the tell-tale sign of what I thought it was -- a salt water crocodile (in 60 feet of water!). But I could tell it wasn't a crocodile. It was, in fact, a 5 - 6 foot American alligator. Its eyes were closed and it did not move so I was almost certain this was one heck of a joke my friends were playing on me. I mean, no one can expect to see an alligator miles out in the ocean. So I approached within inches of it to get some pictures you know to play along with the joke. But suddenly its eyes opened and it moved its legs. Oh my goodness!! I could not believe this gator was the REAL thing.
I quickly made sure my shots were coming out half decent and after a couple of photographs I switched over the camera to record HD video. The alligator stayed for another 30 seconds or so of heart-racing video before swimming to the surface. The dive boat called the FWC who came out to investigate, but the gator could not be found. They mentioned that gators will sometimes make their way out to salt water, but if they stay out to long they will lose their sight due to the salt water and eventually starve to death. Hopefully this little gator will find his way back home.
Laz Ruda
Videos |West Palm Beach News, South Florida Breaking News, Forecast, Video from WPTV
Videos |West Palm Beach News, South Florida Breaking News, Forecast, Video from WPTV
Underwater Photography :: TheLivingSea.com
PALM BEACH, FL -- A rare site on the Breakers reef. Lazaro Ruda had a unique encounter with an alligator at 60 feet below the surface.
He thought it was a prank with other divers until the gator moved its leg. He ended up getting video of it as it moved to the surface.
In his own words:
While diving today at one of the more popular reefs in Palm Beach I had an encounter I never expected. I had a handful of divers who I was guiding across the sand to the end of Breaker's Reef -- a patch reef called Turtle Mound. This patch reef has been very good to me giving me such amazing encounters like great hammerheads, numerous sea turtles, and tons of unique small creatures, but today it really went out of its way to impress.
As I cruised along the sand, from the hazy distance I could see a dark shadow. Not being able to discern its shape too well I thought to myself, "Holy cow! That's a huge stingray." This sandy area usually has some very large southern stingrays, so I swam towards it with my camera in hand. I couldn't believe my eyes. This creature was so out of place that I thought it was nothing more than a well planned out hoax by my good friends. I took a photo from a distance in case it wasn't a hoax so I would have some kind of proof.
As I approached closer I looked carefully at its mouth for the tell-tale sign of what I thought it was -- a salt water crocodile (in 60 feet of water!). But I could tell it wasn't a crocodile. It was, in fact, a 5 - 6 foot American alligator. Its eyes were closed and it did not move so I was almost certain this was one heck of a joke my friends were playing on me. I mean, no one can expect to see an alligator miles out in the ocean. So I approached within inches of it to get some pictures you know to play along with the joke. But suddenly its eyes opened and it moved its legs. Oh my goodness!! I could not believe this gator was the REAL thing.
I quickly made sure my shots were coming out half decent and after a couple of photographs I switched over the camera to record HD video. The alligator stayed for another 30 seconds or so of heart-racing video before swimming to the surface. The dive boat called the FWC who came out to investigate, but the gator could not be found. They mentioned that gators will sometimes make their way out to salt water, but if they stay out to long they will lose their sight due to the salt water and eventually starve to death. Hopefully this little gator will find his way back home.
Laz Ruda
