A video that was shared by a North Carolina man shows an alligator slamming into his boat and flipping it over.
Pete Joyce, the man in the video, said he was paddling in a swampy section of the Waccamaw River when he saw the alligator around 3 feet away from him.
He was stunned and had no time to react.
The alligator ended up lunging at him, which tripped his boat over.
The entire incident was caught on the camera that he was wearing on his chest as he paddled in the swampy section of the Waccamaw River.
Joyce, who is 46 years old, said:
I was just about to turn around when it came towards me. The video doesn’t show how hard the impact was. The alligator hit the kayak so hard, I lost my balance and started to roll.
That did not end there.
Joyce said that he could feel the alligator swimming under his boat.
After climbing back into the kayak, he hit it 3 times hoping that he would scare it away.
After that, he grabbed his paddle and tried to go away from the area as quickly as he could.
He explained:
I’ve never worried about alligators. When I’ve seen them in the past, they kind of go their own way and don’t mess with you.
But this experience was different and taught that the veteran has a lot to learn about kayaking.
Joyce also talked about kayaking, where he explained why he loves it.
He said:
This time of year is a bad one to be paddling because we’re on the heels of mating season and animals are guarding their nests. Kayaking’s a great hobby, but you need to know your environment. You’re going into wildlife so you have to do your research.
Joyce says he will not let the encounter with the animal stop his love for kayaking.
He said he still has to explore the Waccamaw River.