Florida Woman Bit On Face By Gator While Snorkeling
A Florida woman was bit on the face by a gator while she was snorkeling. This happened at the Alexander Springs recreation area in Ocala. A 9 foot alligator attacked the Florida woman and bit her on the forehead. It was all captured by a photographer who was in the area and was able to take photos of the event. It shows the snorkeler right after being bit and also shows the alligator swimming in the waters behind the snorkeler.
The woman told FOX 35 Orlando, “It didn’t hurt bad in the moment. And then like, as I was running back and like, I saw what it was, that’s when it started hurting,” she said. ‘I was like, my forehead hurts really bad and my neck isn’t like so much pain.” The woman credits, her full face snorkel mask for saving her. She wasn’t wearing just swimming goggles, and she thinks that that snorkel mask may saved her for more serious injuries.
A trapper was able to find the gator that bit the Florida woman and removed it. This is the second incident involving an alligator to happen at Alexander Springs in Ocala in the last week.
Where Alligators Are Found
If you are wondering, alligators live in all 67 counties in Florida. There are an estimated 1.25 million alligators in Florida and there is 5 million in the southeast United States. You can find alligators in any body of water including lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, swamps and man-made canals. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says, “Remember, never feed an alligator and keep your distance if you see one. Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours. And keep pets on a leash and away from the water.”
Alligator attacks are rare, but they do occur. From 1948 to 2021, there was only 442 alligator attacks with only 26 of those being fatal. Crocodiles are also found in Florida although they primarily are found in south and southeast Florida. There are over 2,000 adult crocodiles in the wild.
The 6 Best Florida Bass Lures for Late Fall and Winter: Tampa Bay
Florida is arguably one of the best, if not the best, place for bass fishing in the country. With warm weather year round, and a pond in nearly every street corner, it makes it easy for fisherman to hook-up on some giant bass anytime of the year, but what should you use to catch giants in the winter? Finding the best Florida bass lures for winter takes time and a lot of trial and error for any fisherman.
More often than not, we tend to find the baits we like and stick to them. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? If you’re new to fishing, it can be very difficult to know when and how to use a specific bait. Does bait color really matter? What size bait should I be using? Let’s get into it.
Does location matter?
There are many different ways to fish for bass and in Florida we are lucky enough to be able to fish year round. In the Tampa/St. Petersburg area fishing is a big sport. Personally, I fish from the bank about 95% of the time. If you’re new to fishing, bank fishing is standing on the bank of a pond, lake or creek and casting from there.
Location matters because every body of water is different. Some bodies of water will have a harder, rockier bottom while others are sandier with more weed cover. You’ll want to choose the right baits to minimize hang-ups and spend more time fishing.
What color bait should I be using?
Finding the right color bait might be the most important aspect of fishing. It might seem like a small detail, but the right color can significantly increase your hook-up ratio. If you’re using hard baits and lures, you’ll want to see what kind of fish the bass are feeding on and “match the hatch”. Most often, it is a safe bet to go with something grayish/silver or dark green.
For soft plastics, you’ll really want to look at the water clarity on a sunny vs cloudy day. On sunny days in clear water, pick a translucent, light colored bait like green pumpkin or motor oil colors. For sunny days in dark water, pick out a solid, bright colored bait like pink or chartreuse. On cloudy days in clear water, opt for a translucent bait with a little bit of color: motor oil with a chartreuse tip. Finally, on cloudy days in dark water, find a solid, dark colored bait like solid black or dark blue/purple.
Now, let’s dive into the 5 best Florida bass lures for winter.
Kevin is a member of Tampa Bay‘s Hometown Morning Krewe on 995 QYK. He has been with the station for 25 years, is a Tampa native, and went to Jesuit High School and USF. Go Bulls!. He is passionate about all things Tampa Bay. Kevin writes articles on the ongoing road projects around the Tampa Bay area, awards that Tampa Bay cities and businesses have won and country music happenings around the Bay area. He is always doing many things with his wife and kids. He loves to read books and play video games in his spare time.
