Diving with Gators present??

[cruiser]

Ber Rabbit--

Crap, I got the willies just looking at the picture you took and knowing you were in the water with it.

Too close for comfort. I've got a strong fear of gators for some reason--in or out of water.

That's a big freaking gator! Here's my only experience with an alligator during a dive. We didn't know we were supposed to leave if an alligator showed up, they just told us not to go beyond the ropes. BTW, they aren't scared of bubbles, this one was gliding down intending to land in the sand under me and I figured the bubbles would scare him. You'd be amazed how fast you can back up when you realize that gator is 10 feet away and closing and the bubbles aren't spooking him. I don't know if he would have landed on top of me if I held my ground but I wasn't sticking around to find out.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Tom Winters]

Since it's a resident gator, you'll have no trouble. Because you know the ranch owner, you won't be charged an arm-and-a-leg to dive there. Just an arm or a leg. Gator's choice. Just dive with a big rope tied around you so you can get reeled out quickly if need be.
Most likely the alligator will ignore you. I'm more concerned with salt water crocodile myself.
Go up to the north of Australia diving in the seas bwtween Papua/Indonesia and Oz - crystal-clear virgin waters - no other boats, and no divers. 50 miles offshore and no one dives up there because the crocs can be anywhere.
Good thing they're not related to American alligators. Oh wait....they are. Never mind...

 

[Bratface]

I'm not interested in diving with alligators. I think I would bail on that offer.

 

[Scubastud16]

Go up to the north of Australia diving in the seas bwtween Papua/Indonesia and Oz - crystal-clear virgin waters - no other boats, and no divers. 50 miles offshore and no one dives up there because the crocs can be anywhere.
Good thing they're not related to American alligators. Oh wait....they are. Never mind...

I'm currently visiting the land down under, and I've seen the size of the Saltwater croc's here. NO FRIGGIN WAY. They are HUGE!.

Oh, and to the OP, I would stay away from the nasty combo of murky water + 11' alligator, but that's just me.

 

[Orlando Eric]

When I was a teenager I water skied and swam in the canal west of markham park out to us27 and back. I think it was more dangerous ducking the bridges than swimming with the gators. I aggree it was everything to do with people feeding the instinctual critters. Gators do not have cognitive reasoning skills.

YOu walk up with bipedal movement and throw food at them.

People=food.

Someone else walks up with a Nikon. Gator swims over... hmm funny last time the food flew off them and landed near me in the water....

Oh well I'll just go over and get a piece myself....

 

[Hetland]

If the gator wants you, you are his. They can outrun you on land, and are so fast that they can move in less than a blink. I imagine they are even faster in the water, but I'll let that stay a theory....

 

[ocbeachbum]

I had an experience a couple of years ago while snorkeling in the Dry Tortugas. A couple of us were along the seawall of Fort Jefferson, and we came to an opening which let the tide flow in and out of the "moat." I stuck my head in to take a look and there was a big saltie about 15 feet away, eyeballing me. Needless to say we exited the water with alacrity. When I asked a park ranger about it later he told me that the crocs usually hang out around the beach where we´d done our entry. No sign. No warnings, nothing. I threw such a S**tstorm. I´ll see if I can dig up a pic I took of the big mother.

 

[Mark Michaud SELAUSAR]

If the pic attaches, I am cutting the extra liines off of a 10'6" gator.* 11' is even bigger.* I would steer clear myself.

 

[DixieDolphin]

I'd give a gator plenty of PLENTY of space.

I've encountered them in my kayak lots of times out on rivers around here, but you have to use your judgment. I once collided with a gator that was floating just below the surface. Rather startling, so we both took off in opposite directions pretty quickly. But I've passed a few feet by them in my 'yak without worry. Only time I was /actually/ very concerned was when my kayak got swept by a current into an area of thick reeds... about a dozen baby gators came streaking out, squeakin' and making lots of noise. Where there's a nest full of gatorlings, you know the mama has got to be nearby. I back paddled pretty quick outta there!

Encountering one underwater might be a different matter. I'd pass on that dive!

By the way... interestingly enough, the news was all over this today... some wacky deputy decided to play Crocodile Hunter and ended up getting bit by an 8 footer in Deltona.

Gator shot after biting deputy on leg -- -- OrlandoSentinel.com

 

[mlynch21]

I think the rule of thumb for a gator is that if it is close to your size or bigger stay away... Gators will tend to(read generally) keep its prey it's size or smaller. So are you bigger than an 11 foot gator that probably weighs 350-400 pounds? I think it is safe to say IF you have the constitution to dive with a gator keep it under a 5 footer if you are a large male... Personally i don't want to dive with any of them!