Kayakers Rescued At Night After Alligator Nearly Knocks Their Boat Over

The best photos / Najbolje fotografije / Facebook (left) - Seminole County Sheriff's Office / Facebook (right)

Seminole County Sheriff’s Office posted a video to Facebook on February, 18th, 2020 showing two kayakers who nearly got their boat flipped over by an alligator.

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They were floating down Florida’s Econlockhatchee River when it happened. One of the kayakers, Allison Haviland, said they saw a fish jump out of the water and right after that the alligator swam next to their kayak and whipped the boat with its tail. When the gator did that, Allison said it almost flipped them over.

Luckily they were able to regain their balance and stay in the boat but the whole situation spooked them. It was also getting dark so they decided to get out of the kayak and hike along the trails near Snow Hill Road.

The darkness of the night began to make them feel too exposed to the dangers of being out for hours, so Allison called 911 to request a rescue. Seminole County’s ALERT Helicopter flew to the location and spotted them with thermal night vision standing close to the edge of the river.

“Once you’re in the dense woods at night, what would be clear trails during the day are much more obscured and it could be unsettling,” Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, Bob Kealing told Click Orlando.

Luckily Allison had her cell phone on her so she could call in rescue, use the compass on it to navigate and use her flashlight to see in the dark. The two were grateful to be rescued.

Video Footage Below Of Helicopter Rescue