Video shows North Carolina kayaker's terrifying encounter with alligator
A man kayaking in North Carolina over the weekend had a scary encounter with an alligator and it was all caught on camera.
Peter Joyce put his kayak in near the dam on Lake Waccamaw on Sunday expecting a nice, quiet trip on the river.
That was, until an alligator changed his plans.
"I thought I heard of fish jump to my left," Joyce said. "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."
"My mind was playing catch-up at that point," he added. "Basically, when I made out the head toward 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?'"
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The video shows the force of the gator's attack.
It was hard enough to roll the kayak and topple Joyce out.
This wasn't the first time he saw an alligator during a paddling trip but it was the first time one has ever charged at him.
It's given him a newfound respect for the reptile's power.
"You know, usually they would make a splash or they would move and make a ruckus in the water," Joyce said. "But this was a continuous charge from about 20 feet away. So it definitely made me think a little bit differently about what their capabilities are."
And more aware of his surroundings for his next kayak trip.
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