Myakka River State Park - Eye-Level With Gators

A pair of eyes cautiously watches me approach from the water's surface. There is no movement, other than the gentle breeze blowing swamp grass on the nearby shore. As I draw nearer, I wonder how large this one is? Is it a creature that I could pick up and put into my kayak? Or is this one of the huge ones...

One that might be able to swallow my kayak whole.

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You can't help but to wonder why this alligator would start slowly easing into the water as you approach.

A short portage is required near the dam that seperates Upper Myakka Lake from the river.

This guy just left his mouth open, so he wouldn’t have to waste time later on when somebody falls out of their boat.

I'll never know, because as I drift closer- thirty, twenty, ten feet away, it effortlessly and motionlessly disappears below the surface. No splashing or wake or change in current. It was just there looking at me, and just as quickly, it's gone, and I don't know where it is.

This scene has already played out over a half dozen times since we put in at Myakka River, Florida's largest state park. It's the creepiest thing about paddling with the gators here. Not the scariest, mind you. Just the creepiest. The scariest, is when you find yourself all too close within their comfort zone, and they freak out. That's the scariest, and if you have a weak bladder, you might want to avoid it.

Fortunately, it's easily avoidable. The Wild and Scenic Myakka River, which winds it's way through the floodplains from Upper Myakka Lake and through the center of the park, stays wide enough that you don't have to be within the danger zone if you don't want to be. Alligators, like many carnivorous reptiles of their size, are best observed from a distance. Many of the gator's spend their mornings and afternoons on the shore just basking in the sun. Stay away from the shore, and you won't have to fear for your life. But even from a distance, there's something exciting about being eye level with these creatures. That's what happens when you're reduced to another species' equivalent of a floating Happy Meal.

I guess it's not fair to paint Alligator's in such a negative light. I came to this park specifically to see them. But I did find it a little odd that no one mentioned how close we would be, and how many of them were out there. This is not like a whale watching trip, where you go out a see a couple. You are seriously outnumbered on the Myakka River. You'll give thanks that these creature's minds haven't evolved to the point where they're able to organize into groups to attack, because you might hear them whispering, "Ok Fred, you hit 'em from the left. Just tap him hard to freak him out."

"Which one? The Happy Meal?"

"Yeah, just tap the Happy Meal, and Larry and I will be waiting on the other side to grab him. We're eating good tonight boys!"

More realistically, they're sitting on the shore thinking, "Shit! Here comes another one of those floaty plastic dudes. This swamp has been my quiet home for 60 years, and now I've got to dodge these retards every day. I think it's time to start talking to my company about relocation packages."

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