A nice little guy has made his home at Peacock Springs. I surfaced from a dive in P1 on Sunday and there he was getting a sun tan.
http://www.cavediver.net/forum/galle...3/d1924496.jpg
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A nice little guy has made his home at Peacock Springs. I surfaced from a dive in P1 on Sunday and there he was getting a sun tan.
http://www.cavediver.net/forum/galle...3/d1924496.jpg
Beautiful!
aw he's a cutie
And I'm sure he shares the sentiment, and is certain that you're probably delicious.
Looks like he's smiling at you. :)
he's right. but I have a knife, a loincloth and a bad attitude.Quote:
Originally Posted by Webmaster
bring it on gator. i got nothing better to do on deco!
Little guy eh? If it has a sibling you could have a pair of boots.
He or she is just a baby... only 4 feet... but the picture doesn't show that....
:roll:
Being an Ohio cave diver that only gets down that way on vacation, that view while I too was in the water, would make me spontaneously wet my Depends. :drowning
Knowing nothing at all about gators, are there ever any attacks after cave diving?
Looks really gnarly
http://www.cavediver.net/forum/showt...ligator-AttackQuote:
Originally Posted by phillip1
But was he cave certified?
Or is that cave diver certified in alligator dining club?
Ahhhh ONLY 4 feet ??? Size is relative . . . It's only a foot shorter than I am :smt081Quote:
Originally Posted by tj
Given that P.Spring has closed entry to a beautiful cave that happened to be within park just for that reason - damn gator.... For many years. This baby is smiling at perspective of our access, now to P1. I hope reptile gets re-located to W.spring or at least makes a snack for local Mayo bar visitors.Quote:
Originally Posted by hunterdiver
S/he was not there as of Wed. 07/14. Me and my instructor had P1 all to ourselves on that day, and all we saw were a family of turtles, doing pretty much the same thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Webmaster
So, what exactly *is* the "gator drill" procedure? :) Are they known to go into the caves for any length of time?
How "little" is that "little guy"? Also, how big is too big to dive safely around?
Yea the park gave up Bonnet for a gator, Id hate to see that happen at P1. I see nothing cute about it and it should be on a plate with a Corona to wash it down.
Four feet according to an earlier post.Quote:
Originally Posted by brokenbones
I don't know how big is too big, but a few years ago there was a six footer in Peacock 1. Tracy and I didn't really know what to make of it, but the local divers were ignoring it, so we did a number of dives and had no problems. Somebody more used to gators than we are said, "Oh, he's just a little one - he won't bother you." The basin was full of algae and very low vis - Tracy and I were doing our stops back to back - peering anxiously through the the murk watching for the gator coming to eat us!
To Vermonters, a six foot gator is a huge vast immense scary thing, especially when we're in the water with it!
Mike
Hey , it's SCARY to us Fort White'ers too.Quote:
Originally Posted by MORGAN
Well , us transplanters. (EEK)
OK , us Fort White transplanters that have NO GATOR TRAINING (DOUBLE EEK)
Beano
What an awful thought...resting on what you thought was a log to do deco...
I seem to recall a Bill Rennaker story about him trying to shoo a small gator off his favorite deco spot. Bill won the first round, but in the long run, he ended up finding another place to do his deco.
Soooooo, where do you suppose mama is??? ;)
We saw a gator wrestler in Everglades a few years ago. Half of one of his hands was missing...
I wore part of her to church on Sunday.Quote:
Originally Posted by RN
http://www.gunbroker.com/Quote:
Originally Posted by Squirrel Girl
Just remember that to us Canadians, you Vermonters are southern folks who must be use to those southern water dwelling gators. So, 4ft is freaken huge!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by MORGAN
I will take a 4ft beaver over a 4ft gator any day :)
A 4' beaver could probably do more damage than a 4' gator...
Wise decision...I don't like the idea of wrestling with a peeved dinosaur for an inch of lousy log space!Quote:
Originally Posted by FW
Moma gator is in Bonnet Spring, and has kept it closed for a couple of years :(Quote:
Originally Posted by RN
Went to look at Bonnet again this past weekend after the workshop, didn't see a gator, but we did clearly see a beaver swimming around underwater. So for those canadians that are afraid of beavers....
is it still a mudhole?Quote:
Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn
So... let me get this straight- cave divers are all about "conservation" and "preservation" as long as it only applies to rocks, mud and water. But when it comes to a contest between cave divers getting to dive in a particular site vs. relocating (or as one poster has suggested) exterminating the native wildlife, the cave divers want their access, wildlife be damned. Have I got that right? Because that sure is what it sounds like from perusing this thread.
So lets relocate this cute little guy in your back yard. Then we can be safe and you can enjoy being one with nature .Quote:
Originally Posted by harmstrong
There are no springs or other natural gator habitats in back yards (usually).Quote:
Originally Posted by Puttzer
The fact is, the gators are there, and always have been. If you've been diving the the Florida springs more than a handful of times, you've been in the water with them. Just because you didn't see them doesn't mean they weren't there. The ocean has sharks; the springs have gators. It's a fact of life. This is nothing to get excited about.
Brian
Well said. I enjoy seeing them (sharks and gators).Quote:
Originally Posted by Benthic
Nope, basin was clear. It was also clear(crystal) a couple months ago(May) when I swung in on the way to Rainbow River for a camping trip. Didn't see the gator then either :(Quote:
Originally Posted by LiteHedded
soooooo
clear water and the gator is gone. who do I talk to to get in the water? used to be janet didn't it?
Start with the Peacock line committee. They will have to send someone in to see if it is safe to dive, then let the park rangers know it is safe to open back up. The rangers make the final decision however.Quote:
Originally Posted by LiteHedded
Apparently the gator hides, but I dunno if anyone has actually spent any time actually confirming the gator is indeed hiding at this point, or has moved on...
Critter cam! :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn
I'd be up for just staking it out with some mosquito netting to keep the bloodsuckers off me.
We were quiet enough not to spook the beavers... and god knows I can spook a beaver into hiding.
We did see the small gator at P1 on Saturday the 10th laying on a log. Actually we surfaced from a dive and talked to some kids that were swimming/snorkeling when we surfaced. Little boy told us last time he was there it was covered in duckweed and we asked back if he was ever here when the gator was in P1 to scare him a little. kids looked around and said no but that there is a gator laying on a behind us. We thought that they now wanted to scare us a little, but sure enough there he was. We talked to the ranger and it was news to them, she things its one of the babies from the Gator at Bonnie. We did not see him on the Friday before and the Sunday after.
Ron and I hiked through the woods to check out Bonnet on Friday, no gator there at the time we looked, water was pretty clear, Ron mentioned he has not seen it that clear. Did not stay long, mosquitoes were bad there.
The worst we have here are big tarantulas, foot long centipedes and industrial amounts of mosquitoes, but alligators that's hardcore.
Please tell that to the guy known on this forum who recently just about had his head taken off by a gator and really lucky to be alive.Quote:
Originally Posted by Benthic
Seriously? Seriously??Quote:
Originally Posted by Puttzer
That was an isolated incident, and, I might add, Pete was not cave diving, he was snorkeling.
If you are so afraid of "critters" in the wild, perhaps you should stay in your safe, comfy living room.
We regularly see gators in the river, either on the way to or from lots of caves. Personally I enjoy it- "gator spotting" is part of the experience.
I agree, I bring a long lense JUST for those instances I get to knab a good gator photo(ok, maybe a bird or two) on the way to a dive site.
We're in their house...
Although, I'm not convinced anyone but the beavers are squatting at Bonnet ATM. I'd just like confirmation that a gator is there, since thats the reason we are given for not being able to dive that system. I don't visit that area often, but when I do, I walk out to Bonnett just to go have a look... never seen any gators. Just mosquitos... and beaver.
I WAS JUST TRYING TO THUMB THE DIVE!
http://neveryetmelted.com/wp-images/CrocHand.jpg
Should have used the twirly sign instead!Quote:
Originally Posted by OFG-1
I've seen kids and families play in these springs, unknowing of risks.Quote:
Originally Posted by harmstrong
State Parks are not just for brave critter watchers. They are for children, families and even former Marines who don't like being called "afraid"
Dear me, yes, we must invoke the "children" when we extoll the virtues of the Nanny State.... It's obviously quite impossible for people to observe or interact with wildlife anywhere other than a zoo, where they are protected from potentially dangerous creatures!Quote:
Originally Posted by Puttzer
By your logic we should remove every potentially dangerous creature from the face of the earth and lock it up where it can be safely observed.
If you're talking about water moccasins...Quote:
Originally Posted by harmstrong
I've heard that story also. Steve Keene was with him and told me he about passed out from laughing so hard.Quote:
Originally Posted by FW
It is not a gator that closes spring it is officials who close it because of gator. God made caves for cave divers and animals to enjoy. So far animal enjoys Bonnie for many years while we are only taking pictures. Gators population in FL is well above all historical numbers. So apply for a kill online: http://myfwc.com/WildlifeHabitats/Alligator_index.htm
If the shoe fits...Quote:
Originally Posted by Puttzer
I've been a cave diver for 15 years, and in that time I have never heard of a gator attacking a diver. Pete Butt was snorkeling at the time of his attack so, while he is a diver, he wasn't diving at the time. Now that doesn't mean that it hasn't happened...but it's very rare at best. Cave divers love to talk about how the sport is safe and how they're in more danger of dying on the highway driving to and from the site than they are during the dive. Well, there's also a far greater chance that you'll get into a car accident than be attacked by a gator. In fact, it's safe to say that divers are killing themselves with much greater frequency than they are being attacked or killed by the gators.
People are getting worked up about nothing here.
Brian
So lets open Bonnet? :D
Agreed. Let's open Bonnet. If the gator is gone, then that's great! However, I suspect that even if the gator is gone Bonnet won't be opened up again until divers start to express a desire to go there again. Just a guess...Quote:
Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn
Brian
I have a desire to dive there!
Desired!
Well I dove there with the last gator. Let's go diving.Quote:
Originally Posted by Benthic
Funny how the divers' attitudes changed last time, when the gator lost it's fear and started coming closer to them.
Do we all agree the state will assume the legal risks for letting divers dives in poor viz water with a gator in it?
We got away with it the last gator.
Do you mean it's actually the divers' attitude that got Bonnet closed ?Quote:
Originally Posted by Puttzer
Bill told me that story. Almost pee'd myself, so funny!
Quote:
Originally Posted by FW
i heard bill's story, dove the same cave, had a gator next to me on deco and did NOT shoo him away. thanks to bill for showing us what not to do lol :D
I never really think too much about them while cave diving. Now, the Cooper River S.C. is another story. You should ask Artic Mike about the cotton mouth with him in the Cooper...damn scary stuff.
Bumping into one of those huge mud balls in the Cooper river is scary enough. Picture this: diving solo, 3' of vis, going downstream feet first in a 3-4 knot current, light in one hand and drag weight in the other, you bump into something soft and squishy that moves. The first time it happened to me I almost soiled my wet suit. It turned out to be an underwater tumbleweed -- a mud ball about 4' in diameter that rolls on the bottom with the current and gets bigger as it picks up more mud. The first thing that crossed my mind when I encountered my first mud ball was 'dead body'!Quote:
Originally Posted by TONY CHANEY
I've heard of gators in the Cooper river, but I never saw one there.
No, you most certainly do not have that right. I'm sorry you got that impression.Quote:
Originally Posted by harmstrong
Thanks. After 15 years of being heavily involved with Cave Diving I didn't think I did. I tend to be heavy on the sarcasm ;).Quote:
Originally Posted by vinegarbiscuit
We have an abundance of alligators in Florida if not a great surplus.Quote:
Originally Posted by harmstrong
One need not go to a public swimming hole to find them. They are a common sight.
In the area of the Suwannee river that I live, most any morning I can find a gator sunning itself every mile or two.
The state will undoubtedly eventually remove the gator or close the spring.
We have all seen PSSP with near zero visibility in the basin : too much liability.
I vote "relocation" over "closure." P1 is one of the few low flow springs in the area that newbie divers have available for practice and refinement of skills. It would be sinful to close it simply due to the presence of a gator when it could be successfully relocated elsewhere.Quote:
Originally Posted by Puttzer
It was also convenient to the whiteys to relocate the injuns.
alligators are not people.
i have no problem moving these guys down the river somewhere
It was also wrong... Just as wrong as it would be to close PSSP. Note that I said "relocation over closure...." If neither are necessary, then so much the better. It the gators don't bother me, I won't bother them.... Hopefully, we can both co-exist. But if push comes to shove (or "bite" in this case), much better to relocate than close the park.Quote:
Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn
Sorry, I worded that badly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rubis
I recall when the last gator started getting closer to the divers in PSSP , a Ranger there told me it was getting too friendly and it needed to be removed.
Attachment 2867DeepSea showed us back in 2008 that they have already evolved!
Too funny......:rollguyQuote:
Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn
I've had the opportunity and the pleasure to both see and dive with the new aligator at P1. To me this is the Real Florida.
I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!
I like the topic of this thread. I find it amusing at the way so many people get so worked up about (insert your favorite predator here) attacks on people. It gets hyped to the point that many people think that all of these animals are evil and out to get them. In the rare and often tragic instances this occurs the media has a field day with the story and everyone who reads about it is horrified and some swear they will never (insert favorite outdoor activity here) ever or again. In these same media outlets, every day you can find a multitude of not so rare, horrible, violent and depraved acts committed against people by their own species some of which are so awful that anything an Alligator would do to you seems tame in comparison.
Now I'm all for due diligence and being careful but the threat that anything other than a very large gator ( I heard the Bonnet mama gator would qualify) poses to an adult human is pretty small. The little guy in the picture wouldn't even give me a pause for thought except for maybe to try and get close enough for a picture without spooking him or.......her. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE BABY!!! :roll:
I think we all appreciate the low risk of being attacked by this cute little gator.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cave Ranger
Although, one of my employees was telling me today about the time her son was cutting the grass in their back yard and a 4' alligator started chasing him and
there are recorded deaths from attacks by gators only 7' long and
a State park Ranger with 30 years of experience dealing with gators told me he "wouldn't play in water with a 4' gator in it"
And when we do have algae blooms in PSSP creating really poor viz, should we be playing in the water?
This was copied from the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program:
What is a nuisance alligator? Generally, alligators may be considered a nuisance when they are at least 4 feet in length and pose a threat to people or their pets or property. Alligators less than 4 feet in length are naturally fearful of people and are not generally capable of eating anything larger than a small turtle. They eat small fish, frogs, and other small animals. They are too small to be a threat to even small pets and pose no threat to people.
They are typically not dangerous to people unless someone attempts to handle them. Also, they are common in Florida, and the mere presence of a small alligator is not cause for concern, even when they turn up in places where people may not expect to see them such as retention ponds and drainage ditches.
However, occasionally alligators less than 4 feet in length are legitimate problems and must be addressed. If an alligator less than four feet in length approaches people, does not retreat if approached, or is in a location that is not natural, call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).
All good points to be sure but I guess I was just trying to point out how many humans are killed or maimed by other humans as compaired to alligators all other predators combined and it seems that we are more accepting of that fact. I guess we expect that sort of behavior from our "more civilized" fellow humans but are horrified at the natural behavoir of wild animals.
I wonder how many of us would venture into the water if there were Saltwater or Nile Crocodiles in our dive areas as opposed to Alligators? Probably not with out lobbing in a few grenades first anyway.
I've got scars and bite marks from cats and dogs... We should burn them all.
I've got scars from this girl in fifth grade, it was brutal! We should definitely relocate all fifth grade girls.Quote:
Originally Posted by SuPrBuGmAn
Burn them, burn them all! Someone might get hurt :P
We should ban cave diving too, people get killed doing this junk.