Ain’t supposed to be lying sideways in the water…
We’re tourists sitting in an airboat for a tour of the Everglades; and our “captain,” who is not really a captain, spots an alligator and decides to move in for a closer look. But he turns the boat too sharply, and–
“Swim with the gators” doesn’t seem like a persuasive advertisement. All nine passengers, plus the not-quite-a-captain, got dumped into the murky water with the gator in it. A panic ensued. Rescuers arrived. Lots of screaming. For some reason the alligator decided not to bite anybody. Indeed, he seems to have left the scene. Maybe alligators don’t like panic.
I guess no one wants to see the Everglades from the bottom of a muddy pool.
Captain Whatsisname got hauled off to jail, the passengers got fished out of the water, and the lesson, if there is one, is “Keep up with your prayers: you might have a sudden, unexpected need for them.”
What little I know about watercraft is sufficient to convince me that to serve as the captain of any vessel requires training, skill and experience far beyond what the average person would naturally possess, without such training. Even for something as basic as an airboat, the basics would be essential before someone would be able to keep passengers safe.
While I agree that the “captain” should suffer some legal consequences, but I wonder about the company that operates these boats. I hope that their operation is being investigated.
You wouldn’t believe what some people get up to, once their boat is in the water. Patty and I used to do a lot of boating (Shrewsburg River, Barnegat Bay) and maybe we were lucky to escape disaster.
People don’t realize how quickly things can go wrong on a boat, and perhaps more importantly, just how badly things can go when things take a bad turn. In the water, or in the air, we are not in our natural environment. In both cases, you aren’t truly safe until you are back on solid ground. Even if someone survives a boat collision, they can still drown. Add some alligators and the potential for peril goes off scale.
We have seen some truly breath-taking errors on the water. The grossly overloaded small boat is always in play.
I have a moderate interest in Great Lakes shipping, basically through YouTube videos, which are becoming quite common. I’ve seen massive bulk carriers tossed about like toys, because of a current, even though the weather was good and the water appeared calm. In such cases, even a highly experienced captain can do little more than try to aim for something inexpensive to run into, and hold tight.
On small pleasure craft, they are even more vulnerable, are likely to be improperly loaded, and the ”captain” is probably just the boat owner wearing a dime store cap. If an experienced captain of a big ore boat can get into situations where they aren’t completely in control, imagine how much trouble a pleasure craft owner can get into if they haven’t taken the time to learn the required skills.
Wow! Never know what is coming next.
Its a good thing they didn’t fall into the water with LoLong, or they would have been eaten.
“A three-hour drive from our home, near the Agusan Marsh, lived a huge reptile, nicknamed Lolong, officially certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest crocodile held in captivity. He was a saltwater croc, 20 ft 3 in long and weighing 2,370 lbs. As Lolong was the primary suspect in the disappearance of several water buffalos, a 12-year-old girl, and a few luckless fishermen, he needed to be removed. However, those who witnessed a few of the attacks said Lolong, the crocodile they caught was not the one who ate the villagers; he was far too small, the man-eater was much bigger! If true, there are other huge reptiles still living in the waters around the Agusan Marsh.
The menacing creature was named after Ernesto “Lolong” Goloran Cañete, one of the veteran crocodile hunters hell-bent on his capture. After three weeks of stalking, the hunters were able to snare him. Living up to his legend, the 50-year-old croc destroyed four traps before a stronger one caught him. Lolong refused to be captured, twice breaking restraining ropes before being properly secured. It took around 100 people to drag him through the swamp to a waiting crane that hoisted him on a truck for his journey to a new home. [He was kept in an enclosure in the Bunawan Ecopark and Wildlife Reservation Center, located on the island of Mindanao.] After the event, the villagers were told by the powers that be to avoid the marshes at night when the crocs come out to feed. All agreed that would be a good idea.”
From soon to be published book “7,000 Miles of Life Perspectives”
Wow–bigger than Charlie the Alligator, who lived on the US Navy base in Charleston.
I’ve heard of somewhat tame alligators, that adapted to living around humans. I guess anything is possible.
Charlie was pretty harmless, used to being around people, had plenty of nice birds to eat… but he sure was big. I mean really big.
A well fed predator can be fairly docile. I saw a video recently where a guy was approached by a friendly crocodile, that recognized the human, and scurried over to greet him.
Actually, crocodilians are smarter than the average reptile, and some of the species–not all!–are reasonably docile. For instance, the saltwater crocodile is much more dangerous than the American crococile or the gharial. Then there’s the Chinese alligator, which never attacks anyone.
American gators have many opportunities to get used to being around human beings. It seems they like to stroll around golf courses. Some of them lose their fear of humans and become dangerous. American alligator has a complicated psychology.
It’s obvious that these animals we thought of as mindless predators have turned out to be not at all mindless. My hands on experience is limited to handling a baby Caiman, years ago. It’s still fun to remember that I actually got to hold a very small croc’, in my hands. He was making a sort of croaking sound, apparently calling for reinforcements.
As to American Alligators, I’ve heard that they are troubled by income inequality and climb it chains. 🙂