A kayaker exploring a section of a North Carolina river found more than he expected when an alligator slammed into his boat.
According to CNN, Pete Joyce was paddling in a swampy section of the Waccamaw River on Sunday when the alligator charged at him. The impact tipped him over into the water. He was able to grab some tree branches to right himself. Joyce was wearing a video camera on his chest, which caught the whole encounter.
“When it was about three feet from the side of the boat is when I actually got a good look at the head,” he said. “Not enough time to really react, anyway.”
Joyce didn’t see the alligator after the collision but could feel it brush against the bottom of his boat as it swam by. Once he righted himself, he hit the side of his kayak three times, hoping that might scare the reptile away. He took some long deep breaths and then grabbed his paddle and paddled the heck out of there.
