This area never ceases to amaze me. There is an alligator on the beach at the Spooky Lane beach access right now. He is swimming, surfing and every once in a while he comes out. WCS is on the scene keeping spectators far away and the trapper is supposedly on the way. Here are some pics I took.
Cheers, Geo
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Awesome post Geo! I have lived in Florida most of my life and have never heard of a surfing alligator. Maybe the locals have seen it before. Which is the closest dune lake?
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Proud to practice indoctrination
at least when it comes to the GATOR NATION
Thanks, Geo. Great pics. This is not the first time an alligator has been on the beach and won't be the last. Guess it is faster and easier traveling from coastal dune lake to coastal dune lake through the gulf than on Spring Break crowded Scenic 30A!
LOL..I remember a story about one that was on the beach near the Whales Tail several years ago. A man was interviewed that said his young daughter had asked him several times on the way here if there were gators on the beach and he assured her that they didnt go to the beach. He said he lost a few "brownie points" with her that day.
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I heard that he was originally spotted closer to Draper yesterday around 4pm. Draper is the closest coastal dune lake to where I took the pics today so that might be where he decided to make his way into the Gulf. It was surreal watching him swim parallel to shore with his head above water. Some of the time he let the waves and current take him but when he swam he sure was fast! I'd estimate he was 6-7 feet from tip of tail to his snout.
So my friends. Fear not the sharks in the Gulf. The bears and gators swimming in its emerald waters are a far greater threat! hahaha You can't make this stuff up!
I heard that he was originally spotted closer to Draper yesterday around 4pm. Draper is the closest coastal dune lake to where I took the pics today so that might be where he decided to make his way into the Gulf. It was surreal watching him swim parallel to shore with his head above water. Some of the time he let the waves and current take him but when he swam he sure was fast! I'd estimate he was 6-7 feet from tip of tail to his snout.
So my friends. Fear not the sharks in the Gulf. The bears and gators swimming in its emerald waters are a far greater threat! hahaha You can't make this stuff up!
Last time I looked, Draper Lake was more like Draper Mud Pit. If it is that dry still, I can imagine that is why he made his way out to the Gulf or has been doing it to get food. I heard the gator was at least 6 ft in Draper.
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"With Liberty and nothing for all" ---my 3 yr. old nephew's version of the Pledge of Allegiance.
I heard that he was originally spotted closer to Draper yesterday around 4pm. Draper is the closest coastal dune lake to where I took the pics today so that might be where he decided to make his way into the Gulf. It was surreal watching him swim parallel to shore with his head above water. Some of the time he let the waves and current take him but when he swam he sure was fast! I'd estimate he was 6-7 feet from tip of tail to his snout.
So my friends. Fear not the sharks in the Gulf. The bears and gators swimming in its emerald waters are a far greater threat! hahaha You can't make this stuff up!
That's right I remember hearing about a bear that made his way to the gulf around PCB just last summer, right? Well, great photos!! Thanks for posting. I would've loved to see that first hand.
Did it look like the alligator was "struggling in the riptide" like the article pointed out? Or is that just more messed up news?
Geez, I can't believe they gotta kill the thing. We used to vacation in Sanibel a long time ago, and there were gators on or right next to the beach pretty often. Most people just let them wander - really didn't pay them much attention after awhile.
I don't think alligators can "run" as fast in the beach sand, but then again people can't either .
Beachgoers had more to view than sand and surf Monday morning as deputies from the Walton County Sheriff's Office cordoned off a stretch of beach at Ed Walline Park to corral a transient alligator in the surf.
The alligator was reported to the WCSO Sunday evening and beach deputies were dispatched early Monday morning. The alligator was stuck in the rip tide and rolled in and out of the surf, rarely making it to the beach. View a photo gallery of the gator being captured and taken away.
Onlookers were kept a safe distance away and soon many people were gathered along the dunes to watch and take pictures.
As deputies waited for Justin Johnson, an alligator trapper with the Nuisance Alligator Program, they kept a close eye on the gator and navigated their vehicles to keep curious beachgoers at a safe distance.
Upon Johnson's arrival he and Sgt. Ryan Brown of the WCSO took to the beach and waited for the reptile to get close enough to harpoon.
"The harpoon doesn't penetrate enough to kill," said Johnson. "It gives me enough leverage to pull the alligator out of the surf."
When the alligator was approximately 30 yards from the beach, Johnson and Brown waded waist deep into the water, harpooned the alligator and with help from local charter fisherman, Jimbo Bishop who had been summoned to help if Johnson was unable to respond to the scene, pulled the alligator onto the beach.
On shore, the three men quickly muzzled the 7 ½ foot alligator and Johnson tied its legs with electrical tape and secured it for transport.
The alligator didn't put up much of a fight.
"These gators can't take the salt water for long," Johnson said. "They can survive about seven days in the surf and this fellow has been swimming now for more than 24 hours; he's tired."
It took Johnson, Brown, Bishop and another deputy to lift the alligator into Johnson's truck.
"We're going to take him to a holding pen for now," said Johnson. "I'll have to find out if this alligator is going to be placed somewhere."
The Nuisance Alligator Program allows for some transient alligators to be relocated, usually if the alligator is shorter than four feet.
However, since this one was more than seven feet it's likely it will be killed.
"This is the first stray alligator of the season," said Johnson. "With it starting to warm up others will be on the move around the coastal lakes and we'll (the alligator trappers) be busy."
Sounds like a sad fate for Mr Alligator, I sure wish he could just be relocated. Seems wrong to kill a gator for trying to expand his range to survive.
Generally, alligators may be considered a nuisance when they are at least four feet in length and pose a threat to people or their pets or property. Alligators less than four feet in length are naturally fearful of people and are not generally capable of eating anything larger than a small turtle. They eat small fish, frogs, and other small animals. They are too small to be a threat to even small pets and pose no threat to people. They are typically not dangerous to people unless someone attempts to handle them. Also, they are common in Florida, and the mere presence of a small alligator is not cause for concern, even when they turn up in places where people may not expect to see them such as retention ponds and drainage ditches. However, occasionally alligators less than four feet in length are legitimate problems and must be addressed.
Some people would like the FWC to relocate nuisance alligators. While, in rare cases, the agency does allow for the relocation of alligators less than four feet in length, relocation of larger, problem alligators is not an effective solution. Relocation does not change the behavior that caused the alligator to be a nuisance, and relocated alligators frequently return to their capture site. As a result, these alligators would continue to pose a danger. Also, viable alligator populations exist in all suitable habitats in the state, making the relocation of alligators an unwarranted exercise from an ecological perspective. Relocation of wild animals can also facilitate the spread of disease.
Alligators commonly become a nuisance when they are fed by humans. Fed alligators lose their fear of people and can be dangerous. For this reason it is against the law in Florida to feed wild alligators or other wild crocodilians.
I too hate to see them destroyed but once a large one makes its way into areas frequented by humans, they really don't have much choice.
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But he wasn't being a nuisance from the reports - he was swimming in the gulf and in the waves. I didn't hear that he approached anyone, begged for food, etc.
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thanks for the pix Geo. poor gator dude. I am sorry he has to be bothered at all, but that's the way it is. would have loved being on the beach with you today but I may have screamed a coupla times.
But he wasn't being a nuisance from the reports - he was swimming in the gulf and in the waves. I didn't hear that he approached anyone, begged for food, etc.
Exactly but the problem will be the humans that are the nuisance to him and he is large enough to kill pets and possibly kill or seriously injure a child or even adult.
It is sad, it is a huge problem at Disney World, because the idiots that feed them and then they have to remove them and try to relocate but if they show up again and have to relocate them, they are usually destroyed.
So basically even if he minds his own business they will remove him and possibly kill him to prevent some idiot from getting too close.
how many times a year are alligators spoted on the beach on 30-a?grayton beach has beware of alligators sign near a dune lake.Has anyone ever heard of a gator attacking a person on 30-a?
how many times a year are alligators spoted on the beach on 30-a?grayton beach has beware of alligators sign near a dune lake.Has anyone ever heard of a gator attacking a person on 30-a?
That's the same question I have had. This is my first time hearing of one. Maybe they should do more research or try to ascertain why the gator needed to go gulfing for food. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it is probably the one that had been living at Draper Lake peacefully for quite some time. I've also never heard of them being a nuisance in our area,either. Killing it really irks me.
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"With Liberty and nothing for all" ---my 3 yr. old nephew's version of the Pledge of Allegiance.
how many times a year are alligators spoted on the beach on 30-a?grayton beach has beware of alligators sign near a dune lake.Has anyone ever heard of a gator attacking a person on 30-a?
Other than man attacking gator, I know of only one which happened in the Pandora's parking lot, but it started by a particular person trying to wrestle the gator.
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"Mommy, what is God's last name?" -- my 3-year old, inquisitive nephew
Geo, thanks for posting the pics. I'm sorry to hear of the fate of the poor guy. Maybe I missed something, but shouldn't there be a non-profit way to handle them and get them to a place where they can find food and live?
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Sheesh. The poor dude was just surfing. I know other folk over 4 ft. who will surf and alternately bum food off tourists or threaten to bite them, and nobody skins them and eats them.
It's not like he sat on a private beach or left his tent out there.
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Sheesh. The poor dude was just surfing. I know other folk over 4 ft. who will surf and alternately bum food off tourists or threaten to bite them, and nobody skins them and eats them.
It's not like he sat on a private beach or left his tent out there.
Thank you. I think I could get really worked up over this, but alas, I'm all the way in Texas.
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Well, that's what I heard but I want pictures and updates as proof positive. A postcard would be a nice addition. But, the postcard is probably just as forthcoming as the relocation.
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"With Liberty and nothing for all" ---my 3 yr. old nephew's version of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Well, that's what I heard but I want pictures and updates as proof positive. A postcard would be a nice addition. But, the postcard is probably just as forthcoming as the relocation.
A postcard from Mr. Gator? (That would be awesome.)
I'm with you, too, Punzy. Maybe I watched too much Crocodile Hunter, but I got a real kick out of the surfing Gator. I knew they were freshwater beasties, too, and that they can't hang out there long, but the article STILL reminded me of me--I get tired and my eyes get red from a long day in the ocean, too. I'm mildly allergic to seafood, but it's tasty on vacation.
I'm really not going to get all upset, but I was alarmed by the tying of his legs over his back, too. That looked awfully uncomfortable.
I'm also still not quite used to the fact that they're not endangered anymore. They're unique to our part of the world, and I hate to hear of them slaughtered.
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Geo, you are the man on the scene! Keep us updated!!!
Okay, now this really scares me. I'm not near as afraid of sharks as I am of alligators. He certainly looks like he's enjoying himself.
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"With Liberty and nothing for all" ---my 3 yr. old nephew's version of the Pledge of Allegiance. 
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would have loved being on the beach with you today but I may have screamed a coupla times.
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