ENVIRONMENT

VIDEO: Alligator leaps into airboat in Florida

Oscar Santiago Torres
oscar.santiago-torres@naplesnews.com; (239) 403-6102

A Springfield, Missouri couple vacationing in Florida this week had a close encounter with an alligator when it jumped on their airboat.

Tylor Hindery posted the Facebook Live video on Tuesday. Tylor was on the airboat with his wife, Emerald, another couple and a captain.

For m obile and app users, click here to watch the video.

“The driver went to an area that had a few alligators and turned off the engine to not scare them away,” Tylor said via Facebook message.  “We ended up getting pushed by the wind up against the edge of that one alligator and that's how we got there.”

In the video, the gator is seen lying motionless a few feet away from the airboat. The gator then jumps on the airboat and gets wedged in the airboat’s railing.

“I didn't fear the worst at all. As crazy as it sounds, within a second of it happening I realized the alligator wasn't going for us — it was going away from us and trying to find water,” Tylor said. “The part that was more worrisome was when it looked like the alligator couldn't get out of the boat. I was thinking ‘What are we going to do if it can't get out?’”

The gator eventually was able to slip out of the railing and back into the water.

“I'm happy it ended up so well, that was crazy, and I'm very happy that gator was so courteous,” said Emerald via Facebook message.

The close encounter will not stop the couple from visiting the Sunshine State again.

“I'll definitely be back to Florida,” Tylor said. “My wife and I visit multiple times a year and this isn't going to change anything.”

The Associated Press reports that no one was hurt.

Since Friday afternoon, the video has been viewed more than 618,000 times and has been shared more than 13,800 times.

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