Gator info.

[deepairmike]

I am looking for info on people's interaction with alligators. What is the deepest anyone has seen a alligator? How did they react to open circuit?

[Superlyte27]

I've seen them at about 75'.
Most encounters where I pursued the gator to chase them away from swimmers or students, the gators left, quickly.
However, once when I was putting in a set of locks in a small river down by YeeHaw junction, I had 3 gators in one day try to eat me. 12'7" 11'7" and 11'2" in that order. They were swimming so fast towards me they were making a wake the size of a small boat. They tasted great.

[Terry D]

Two years ago, while doing an extended decompression at a sink off the 'cootch, locals said they saw a gator swimming back and forth overhead. I never saw it but the locals seemed pretty concerned.

[deepairmike]

I've seen them at about 75'.
Most encounters where I pursued the gator to chase them away from swimmers or students, the gators left, quickly.
However, once when I was putting in a set of locks in a small river down by YeeHaw junction, I had 3 gators in one day try to eat me. 12'7" 11'7" and 11'2" in that order. They were swimming so fast towards me they were making a wake the size of a small boat. They tasted great.

Did you kill them while diving?

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I've had them swim over me while I decompressed, they seemed curious of the stream of bubbles. They swam away if you approached them.

Deepest I've personally seen them has been about 15'.

[kmev]

I had one swim into an entrance in 10' and lay down *right* next to me while on open circuit. I could't tell his size due to the silt he created (he sure didn't seem small), but all the silt was probably a good thing - he was practically laying on top of the line but my buddy never saw him on the exit.

[FW]

A few years back (late 70s) there was one in Catfish Hotel, on the surface. When we swam under him our bubbles hit him. People on the surface reported him hissing when bubbles hit him.

[Kelly Jessop]

Deco 3 ft away from an 8ft gator once in a basin with only a couple ft of viz. My buddy got my attention,and the none the less,blew the last 5 min of deco off.

[JamesK]

Had one swim by us on deco once at Peacock of all places. It swam down, looked at us, and took off when we exhaled. Then it came back and left once we started surfacing. It was a small one though. Maybe 5 feet at most.

[a64pilot]

I don't think they are much of a threat. When the "mission profile" was for Nap of the Earth Flight, we would often fly an Apache Helicopter down the Pea River in lower Alabama, the object being to harass the Alligators sunning on the bank. There were Many huge Tarzan like Alligators, real monsters, then you would go around a curve and there would be several Rednecks in innertubes floating down the river and drinking beer. Never heard of any of them being eaten though.
I think we have been closer to them more often than we realize, I've looked right at them and not seen them, until they moved.

I too want to hear more about the three big gators, and how the were dealt with.