Kayaker Has Close Run-In With Alligator On River

A man kayaking in America had a close encounter with a none-too-happy alligator as he travelled down a river, managing to capture the scary moment on camera.

Peter Joyce was kayaking along the Waccamaw River, which runs through southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina.

After heading out from Wilmington, North Carolina, last weekend, he was drifting along the seemingly still water when suddenly an alligator leapt out of the water and took a swipe at his kayak.

It was at that point that Joyce's Kayak was tipped over, plunging him into the water with the angry beast.

Eventually, he managed to right his kayak and paddled away, while his scaly arch-nemesis was not seen again.

Thankfully, Joyce said he was not injured during the incident, telling WECT 6 News that his kayak also didn't sustain any damage.

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Mind you, while he came out of the incident unscathed, many people watching the clip on Twitter felt a little more scarred.

One commented: "This is what my nightmares are made of."

Someone else said: "My anxiety was through the roof the whole video."

A third added: "Yep looks like I'll never take up kayaking."

Another said if they were to ever go kayaking, it would now be in an 'indoor swimming pool'.

Tagging a wildlife expert they knew, someone asked if they thought Joyce had come to close to a nest.

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They replied: "Potentially! Female [alligators] can be wiley this time of year (protecting nests). That was some charge! So fast too. Barely saw it coming from the left before the head popped up! Wowza, I would breathing heavy too after that encounter."

According to River Island Adventures, which runs trips along the Waccamaw River in South Carolina, alligators do live in the river, but are 'rarely seen' on the upper part of the river.

A post on the company's website explains: "In contrast alligators are frequently seen on the lower part of the Waccamaw River south of Conway where you will find much more people enjoying the water: swimming, water skiing or simply floating by their boat where the river is much wider, straighter and slower moving water.

"Alligators, like most wildlife generally don't bother you if you don't bother them. If we are lucky enough to see an alligator during our tour we will maintain a safe distance to admire from afar."

Topics: News, US News, Alligator, Animals

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman