Author Topic: SUP with Alligators??  (Read 13508 times)

diveChick

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SUP with Alligators??
« on: February 05, 2016, 02:37:05 PM »
As someone in another one of my posts on here pointed out, there are some long runs to be had on Lake Okeechobee:


I live right on the lake there (well, the canal) and there is access into the main lake but I have to admit, I have yet to try SUP in either the canal or the lake.  There are some MONSTER alligators in there.

Any thoughts on SUP with alligators around?  Anybody on here been in Lake Okeechobee?

SeaMe

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2016, 04:03:04 PM »
Alligators and murky water are an automatic "HELLA-NO" for me.
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FloridaWindSUP

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2016, 05:17:06 PM »
There's a list of fatal alligator attacks in the US...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_alligator_attacks_in_the_United_States_by_decade

...and it looks like none of them were attacks on kayakers or paddleboarders. Mostly the victims were people who were swimming or wading around the edges of ponds and canals in more developed areas where the 'gators might have gotten used to being fed by humans.

Here's a kayaker's guide to paddling with alligators: http://www.kayakguide.com/Kayk-Alligators.htm

While there is definitely a *chance* you could get attacked and killed by an alligator paddling in Lake Okeechobee, it's probably a pretty small chance. That said, I would still feel a little queasy about being the first and only person to SUP in the lake. Like a flock of penguins standing on the edge of the ice, nobody wants to risk being the first one to get in the water, but once some others go in first and don't die, you feel safer.
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surf4food

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2016, 05:58:00 PM »
I'll pass.

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2016, 06:34:57 PM »
There are way too many better places to paddle in Florida to put yourself at risk in lake Okeechobee.  There's water everywhere. I say go to the coast, paddle the intracoastal or the Atlantic when the surf backs off a bit. I'll take a shark encounter on an SUP 10 to 1 over a big alligator. But that's just me. Don't like to feel like a human version of cheese on a ritz cracker.

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2016, 06:41:42 PM »
I would bring something bigger than a 22.

Tecpartner

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2016, 06:48:50 PM »
The ACE basin, and the waters around Charleston have lots of gators.  I paddle these waters every chance I get.  It's all fun and games until they realize there's a creamy topping.

FloridaWindSUP

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2016, 07:03:54 PM »
The problem is that it's a really long drive to the coast, so the original poster won't be able to sup much unless she can go in the lake. I'd say go ahead and paddle Lake Okeechobee, but use a big board and don't fall in.

When I was doing seagrass research by kayak in Merritt Island NWR a few years ago there were lots of gators. The people who worked there all the time said the gators were generally not aggressive but they could be "curious and territorial," especially in the April-June mating season. They said to watch for their territorial display, which is when they float up high in the water to expose as much of their head, back, and tail as possible to show how long they are. That's how two 'gators size each other up- and the smaller one backs down. The folks I was working with said that as long as my kayak was longer than the gator I was good. I tried to stay right next to the kayak when I was snorkeling.

Maybe get a 14' board, since most alligators are smaller than 14'. 
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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2016, 08:09:32 PM »
I've kayaked / canoed on the Zambezi River for 6 days fly-camping on the way. We were given this advice. If a crocodile attacks the kayak, stay with the kayak. Do not get in the water. Crocs know the difference between people and kayaks. If a hippo charges the kayak, get out of the kayak and swim for the shore. Its territorial and only cares about the kayak thing entering its territory or between it and its young. If a buffalo charges you get out of the kayak and lay along side it. Buffalos kill more people than any other animal in Africa but have poor eyesight. We were charged once by a hippo but fortunately there was deep water between us and it and it never reached us... Being charged by either a hippo or a buffalo in croc invested waters was something that was not discussed... Going down a river though when you only pass the place once is a little different than paddling the same route over and over again. I would be cautious.
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Quickbeam

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #9 on: February 05, 2016, 08:10:48 PM »
Wouldn't be for me. There was a story some time ago about two very experienced kayakers who were paddling down a body of water. Can't remember where it was but I know it was not in the U.S. Anyway, out of nowhere a big gator lunged out of the water and dragged one of the kayakers out of the boat. Happened very fast and without warning. The fellow was never seen again.

I wouldn't have gone in the water with alligators before that story, let alone after.
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NoSaltSuper

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #10 on: February 05, 2016, 08:22:10 PM »
Oh the stupid things we did in our youth, and I would probably not do now.
I grew up in southern Florida and will go bass fishing in the Everglades on a frequent basis. We would Wade in the water casting and catching bass all day long. One of the things you did was to make sure your leader of fish that you had caught was at least 5 feet from your body in case a gator come up to get the fish.
I remember one day after fishing for hours, we got out of the water and walked along the causeway and saw close to a half-dozen gators where we had just been wading.
Believe it or not, most gators scare really easy and will disappear when you approach them. 
How the hell did I get to 50 yrs old doing crap like that I'll never know.


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PonoBill

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2016, 08:56:39 PM »
Wouldn't be for me. There was a story some time ago about two very experienced kayakers who were paddling down a body of water. Can't remember where it was but I know it was not in the U.S. Anyway, out of nowhere a big gator lunged out of the water and dragged one of the kayakers out of the boat. Happened very fast and without warning. The fellow was never seen again.

I wouldn't have gone in the water with alligators before that story, let alone after.

that was about one of the more famous Zambesi river guides. Two Zambesi stories in one thread. Coincidence? I don't think so.
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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2016, 09:12:19 PM »
Wouldn't be for me. There was a story some time ago about two very experienced kayakers who were paddling down a body of water. Can't remember where it was but I know it was not in the U.S. Anyway, out of nowhere a big gator lunged out of the water and dragged one of the kayakers out of the boat. Happened very fast and without warning. The fellow was never seen again.

I wouldn't have gone in the water with alligators before that story, let alone after.

that was about one of the more famous Zambesi river guides. Two Zambesi stories in one thread. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Yes. Sadly that happened many years after I went with that guide. He'd been doing this same trip for many years without incident and being ex special forces and growing up in the African bush was an extremely experienced and cautious guide. The croc coming out of the water and taking someone from a kayak was highly unusual. I lost a relative to a croc in Africa. She was 19 years old in her gap year swimming with a bunch of friends in a pool many miles away from where crocs were. It was found it must have walked 20+ miles over dry land to get to this pool.. A tragedy..
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robon

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #13 on: February 05, 2016, 11:21:26 PM »
I remember reading about the Coetzee tragedy in outside magazine and from what I have read, this was a one of a kind exploratory run down the Lukuga river that had never been done before on kayaks, and boat traffic was low there. The whitewater consisted of first run descents and it was not being explored or used by kayakers at all. Local villagers in the area reportedly stopped water travel on that stretch of the river because multiple people had been killed by crocodiles over a short time frame on the area where Coetzee was attacked, and over 100 people had been killed by crocs over a longer stretch on the same river over a several year span. It was an area of the river having a very high density of known man eating crocs, which Coetzee wasn't expecting from the accounts I read. I also read another article that had estimates of the croc that took Coetzee being 15 feet long, and the kayakers also reported it as being huge. Coetzee's kayak was only around 7 feet long. Puts things into perspective. Fascinating read.

http://www.outsideonline.com/1825851/consumed

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kayakers-recount-deadly-congo-crocodile-attack/
« Last Edit: February 05, 2016, 11:50:09 PM by robon »

Ichabod Spoonbill

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Re: SUP with Alligators??
« Reply #14 on: February 06, 2016, 05:39:30 AM »
I have a friend who's sister was a missionary in Zaire. She was bathing herself in the local river when a crocodile seized her arm and started twisting. once those damn things grab you it's almost impossible to get them to let go. After about 20 minutes of wrestling with the beast, she ended up losing her arm.

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-22/news/mn-60701_1_crocodile
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