A woman in Florida was attacked by a nine-foot alligator while she was snorkeling at the Alexander Springs Recreation Area over the past weekend. Marissa Carr was busy snorkeling and swimming with her friend Shane at Alexander Springs Recreation Area on November 5 when an alligator attacked and bit her on the face.
Photographs captured Carr with a bleeding head as the alligator swam in the background. The Alexander Springs Recreation Area is the only location in the Ocala National Forest that allows for scuba diving, although it's recognized that crocodiles can be found in the waters despite this allowance. Carr has since been in shock and is still recovering.
Near-Fatal Attack
Following the incident, Carr was immediately transported to a nearby hospital after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received a call from the park.
A nuisance alligator trapper also arrived at the scene and successfully removed the 9-foot-long alligator from the waters.
Carr told Fox35 Orlando: "I ripped the mask off and I turn and see the two little eyes sticking out of the water.
"It didn't hurt bad in the moment. And then like, as I was running back and like, I saw what it was, that's when it started hurting. I was like, my forehead hurts really bad and my neck isn't like so much pain."
Shane described the moment as, "I just heard a rush of water and I turned around to make sure she was OK. And I just saw the gator.
"I saw her head in its mouth."
Understandably, Carr narrowly escaped the attack and would not have been alive to tell her story.
Dangerous Encounter
Carr said that the entire incident occurred within a matter of seconds, and she didn't immediately comprehend what had happened.
She explained that she had been wearing a full-face snorkel mask, not just swimming goggles, which she believes played a significant role in preventing more severe injuries.
"Sounds bad, but it biting my head is probably the best place that it could have been because like, if it would have got my arm and that it would have got a better grip on my arm and I could have lost my arm or just like my life in general.
"So like, I think the head he didn't get a good grip of it. So I think I'm genuinely just really, really lucky," she told the channel.
The USDA Forest Service describes the Alexander Springs Recreation Area as a naturally sloped spring pool with a consistent temperature of 72°F and exceptionally clear waters.
