Tampa Bay's Friendly Chat Area

[joystershell]

A few buds and I dove Alexander Spring yesterday. A 6' gator came to patrol his spring. I took some pretty cool video, but stayed at a safe distance. He seemed a little agitated, was turning his head to follow my movements.........

Well....................

:worthless:

 

[DebbyDiver]

Good Morning Everyone! Anybody with diving plans today?

I did have plans, but they got blown out. :depressed:

A few buds and I dove Alexander Spring yesterday. A 6' gator came to patrol his spring. I took some pretty cool video, but stayed at a safe distance. He seemed a little agitated, was turning his head to follow my movements.........

:shocked2:

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

.....and, like Jenny, diving into the garden here. It's blowing a gale on this side.....maybe next weekend. Sigh.

WAnna come down and help me? Have paint... and rum..

 

[SkimFisher]

A few buds and I dove Alexander Spring yesterday. A 6' gator came to patrol his spring. I took some pretty cool video, but stayed at a safe distance. He seemed a little agitated, was turning his head to follow my movements.........

No...

 

[Salmonboy97]

Ok. I shot some vid of the gator and the diver who has the vid will post it soon. Here is what happened: Todd263 was swimming around the edges of Alexander Spring because the spring itself is pretty unremarkable after 30 minutes. I looked up and saw a large silted out area just beyond him and he started back toward me and the middle of the spring. I knew the silted area could not have been made by him and he signed to me there was a gator over there. I swam past him, toward the gator to get a look. Todd263 turned on his camera in vid mode and swam up to give it to me. I continued closer. The gator had taken up a position on the edge of the spring overlooking all the divers in it. Notice how he swivels his head very interested in my approach. Noticing his aggressive behavior I didnt get too close. He was about 6'-7'. After stopping the vid, I swam left to right in front of him, trying to assess his aggressiveness. He made no moves toward me but he wasnt playing "dead log" on the bottom either (as I would expect him to do if he was relaxed). Not wanting to provoke him further I backed off and the gator swam to the surface. Todd263 and I both shot vids of him on the surface but it isnt clear who shot the vid that has been posted on FB. Todd said he bit at the surface ball, but none of the other divers or vid caught this. Todd263 or myself will post the vid here as soon as possible.
I was at the site to try out a new drysuit, but this made the dive MUCH more exciting!

 

[Salmonboy97]

PICT0333.flv video by Salmonboy97 - Photobucket

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

You may want to contact Alexander Springs and report the alligator. They know there are alligators there, but the fact that the alligator didn't leave is a bad sign. I think I recall they took a couple out a year or so ago because they no longer feared humans.

 

[Salmonboy97]

This is the first time I had dove there, and I heard a bunch of differnet people talking about a 12' gator there. They said when it comes out they make all the divers and bathers get out of the water. I dont know if this 12' gator is real or legend but I wasnt surprised to see this real one! I personally dont mind diving with the "wildlife" as long as it behaves!
(you should meet some of my dive buds! LOL)

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

It just may have been the 12' I heard about. It was starting to look at little kids in a yummy way...

 

[KBeck]

Holy moly salmonboy, you're brave! I don't have those kind of balls! Though one of the few times I've been to Ginnie, I saw a snake swimming out in the open, and I swam towards it, conditioned to thinking "ooh, eel!". I was told later it was a water mocassin. Ick.
I have to say, the thought of diving with gators concerns me a heck of a lot more than sharks, etc. in the ocean......