Alligator Attack - Defense Fundamentals

[Thalassamania]

Somehow I suspect that they'd have stayed dry if they'd not been swinging drunkenly at the gator. Just a hunch.

 

[The Chairman]

When I was at FSU, I had a couple of friends go down to the St. Marks river (which is loaded with gators) and rent a canoe. They got totally smashed and decided to start smacking gators with their paddles.

First... they were smashed. I am fairly confident that the gator was invented to cover their inability to handle a small craft.

Second... dude, they were from FSU. Nothing more needs to be said. They ALWAYS blame us Gators!

 

[CBulla]

Gators are cool. I love to see them up close... as long as they are small or I am in a boat.

Yeah - they are cool. I like seeing them go UNDER my Jeep when I'm out and about, especially since I can see right through the shift boot past the transmission.

They are neat creatures whose tails are good to eat.

A high school friends mom was the woman killed on Sanibel by the 12'er a year and a half ago.. turns out that she'd been working that area for years, the gator was new to the pond and unknown to be there by her. Appearenetly it was displaced by construction in what was supposed to be "wild life sanctuary".

Naked crack-head swims in lake! Mimmics Gator food!

BTW - dead gators on the side of the road here were occaisional as I lived basically at the edge of swamp/mangrove sanctuary growing up.. they are mostly non-existant now.

 

[ReefGuy]

They definately didn't want to get back in the water. Left cash and keys (and beer) on the bottom (and the St. Marks is shallow and clear).

You know how to find Gainesville from Tallahassee? Go East until you smell it, then South until you step in it.

First... they were smashed. I am fairly confident that the gator was invented to cover their inability to handle a small craft.

Second... dude, they were from FSU. Nothing more needs to be said. They ALWAYS blame us Gators!

 

[The Chairman]

When you are drunk, you don't act rationally.

When you are a Nole you don't act rationally.

They only good thing to ever come out of Tallahassee is I-10.

 

[ReefGuy]

It may be great to hate Florida State,
but it's greater to be a gator hater.

When you are drunk, you don't act rationally.

When you are a Nole you don't act rationally.

They only good thing to ever come out of Tallahassee is I-10.

 

[brutus_scuba]

Well I can see that I'm jumping in this thread to late and it's become an FSU vs. UF thread but just to add my two cents even though it's already been mentioned. The springs that i have dove in FL were way to cold for gators to be coming around. The rivers around there can be more of a problem, but if they are places that have people or divers there daily more then likely the gators know to stay away.

 

[Thalassamania]

As someone who has a son who is a real Conch and had a Florida driver's license I probobly should know what y'all are talking 'bout ... but I don't, I guess it has something to do with those sports teams they call colleges down there.<G>

 

[Cacia]

I am blown away by the collective first-hand gator knowledge in this thread. Ya'll have been holding out on us.

 

[ReefGuy]

We (our dive team) regularly dive with gators nearby. One precaution we always take is that either the tender or safety diver has their AR-15 handy. We've never had to use it though.

We have called in the FWC twice to kill gators though, and the meat was donated to local homeless shelters. Both times, the gators were over 5' (6' and 8').

When they come out and are looking straight at you, they're just curious. When they turn sideways and raise themselves high out of the water, it's a definate sign of agression. ("Look how big I am. You want a piece of me?")

Our dive team leader claims to have grabbed a gator underwater. He thought it was the bumper of the car we were looking for until it moved off. The team completed the dive and got the car.