WILMINGTON, N.C. – A heart-stopping moment caught on camera in North Carolina.
In the video above, watch the bottom left corner of the screen from a kayaker’s point of view.
WECT reports that Peter Joyce was paddling near the dam on Lake Waccamaw exploring a section of the river had had never traveled before.
That big surge of water in the video is actually an alligator, which tipped over Joyce’s kayak.
“I thought I heard of fish jump to my left. Turned out not to be a fish. About 3 feet from the kayak I made out the head of the gator and that was it. I had no time to react,” said Joyce. “My mind was playing catch-up at that point. Basically, when I made out the head towards the front end of the kayak it was kind of just a state of shock. As soon as it hit the kayak and went under I was like what just happened.”
He didn’t see the alligator again and was able to paddle away.
He wasn’t hurt and believes the gator became aggressive because its mating season.
Surprisingly, Joyce said he does plan to paddle that part of the river again, but at a different time of year.