Surfers in the Carolinas will be scanning the lineup for scaly reptiles before paddling out in the coming weeks after two alligators were recently spotted on beaches.
First, a gator was found waddling around at Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina on June 16.
Tim Yauger, who had been on the beach with his wife and children, posted a video of the encounter on his Facebook page. While it’s rare to see alligators, which are freshwater animals, on the beach, the park is known to be home to more than 100 gators.
Then, three days later, on June 19, an eight-foot gator was seen just across the border at Sunset Beach, North Carolina.
Sunset Beach Police Department responded to reports of an alligator entering and exiting the ocean. A police officer licensed in catching gators caught it with a catch pole and released it in a nearby pond.
In both North and South Carolina, the law prohibits feeding, approaching, or harassing alligators without a proper license.
The Sunset Beach Police Department issued a reminder that alligators are dangerous and should not be approached. They are capable of moving quickly over short distances and should not be fed.
While there are no documented alligator attacks on surfers, their close relative, the crocodile, has shown aggression towards surfers. Costa Rica has seen several incidents, and in 2017, a journalist was killed by a crocodile adjacent to a surf camp in Sri Lanka.
If you are a Carolina surfer worried about the recent alligator sightings, give The Inertia’s “A Surfer’s Guide To Avoiding Death by Crocodile” a read. Might save your life.
