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Near Misses and Lessons LearnedHere is a forum to discuss those incidents that ended well but could easily have ended badly, and the lessons learned from them.
Please note: The last reply in this thread was more than 1 month(s) ago.
I dive in the Cooper River in South Carolina, so seeing alligators while preparing to dive is a very common thing. While we aren't really seeing more gators than usual, we are definately seeing more of them sub-surface. I am also the a divemaster for a local certification agency, and while on an advanced ow night dive we had alot of interaction with three alligators. None were visible at the onset of the dive (and we were looking), but upon sufacing, the three were close. While I and one instructor had the students, another instructor and a friend were shark tooth hunting about 75 yards down the canal from us. One of the alligators actually droped to the bottom less than three feet from the instructors friend. He jabbed it with his screwdriver, and qucikly departed company. When I surfaced with my students I had one very large gator closing fast on the surface, and two more about 50 yards away. The one approaching waved off at about 10 yards, I guess not liking the 50 watt halogen dive light. After we got out of the water the other instructor and his friend explained what happened to them.
I had the misfortune up creeping up on a 10+ footer in the same area earlier this year in about fourteen foot of water. Normally we don't see the alligators sub-suface at all. We did have a confirmed attack this past year out at short stay recreational facility when a man had his arm removed by a big gator. The pictures I've posted don't really do the gator justice. I am the dive team leader for the local rescue squad, and helped remove the mans arm from the gators belly on that day. He was huge!
So are there more divers having close calls/ interactions with alligators, or am I just that lucky?
I'm not afraid of much, but I don't think I would do that dive anymore...Seriously!
That gave me chills...
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Darth Vader: I can kill you all! I can kill me with a thought! Just … fine, I'll get a tray, eff it. This one's wet, and this one's wet and this one's wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. Did you dry these in a rainforest? Why, with the power of the Death Star do we not have a tray that is effing dry?
I'm not afraid of much, but I don't think I would do that dive anymore...Seriously!
That gave me chills...
She is afraid of me, don't let her fool you. But my nick name back in high school was Wally Gator. For those of you that don't know, he was a cartoon character.
At any rate I think I might have to pass on diving with gators. Isn't this about their breeding season?
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Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.
Dive till it hurts, hang till it stops. - Rick Kruzel
She is afraid of me, don't let her fool you. But my nick name back in high school was Wally Gator. For those of you that don't know, he was a cartoon character.
At any rate I think I might have to pass on diving with gators. Isn't this about their breeding season?
Okay...I'm pretty sure stalking is illegal in most states these days Wall-E! And you know darn good and well I can whip your skinny butt from one end of FRP to the other. You would just enjoy it a little too much!
Breeding season would be interesting...I can almost picture Wally getting mounted by some big male gator!!
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Darth Vader: I can kill you all! I can kill me with a thought! Just … fine, I'll get a tray, eff it. This one's wet, and this one's wet and this one's wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. Did you dry these in a rainforest? Why, with the power of the Death Star do we not have a tray that is effing dry?
I think we're going to suspend the night dives there until it cools down a bit. Being that close is a little freaky though...
Just the night dives?
You're braver than me...
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Darth Vader: I can kill you all! I can kill me with a thought! Just … fine, I'll get a tray, eff it. This one's wet, and this one's wet and this one's wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. This one is wet. Did you dry these in a rainforest? Why, with the power of the Death Star do we not have a tray that is effing dry?
I'm not afraid of much, but I don't think I would do that dive anymore...Seriously!
That gave me chills...
Sharks I am OK with....'gators I think not. It would take one call and I would be with Jennifer on the shore.
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All day, Every day, underwater = HEAVEN Diving My Way - my non-professional website Blog on Diving & so much more - a place for me to force my opinion onto the reader. "It is better to remain silent and appear dumb, than to speak and remove all doubt." -- Winston Churchill --
But my nick name back in high school was Wally Gator. For those of you that don't know, he was a cartoon character. 
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