This man's peaceful kayaking outing was rocked by a (too) close encounter with an alligator.

Peter Joyce was paddling along the Waccamaw River in North Carolina when an alligator rushed him, tipping over his kayak. Luckily, he was able to right his kayak before things got any worse but imagine being in the basin and falling into the water after being rushed by an alligator.

His camera caught the entire event in a super hi-res video that almost makes it feel like you were there. Joyce says he wasn't injured nor was his kayak damaged. I would say he's probably feeling pretty lucky.

Speaking with local kayakers, it seems like the common feeling was that you have to approach the waterways with the understanding that "there’s always a slight risk of danger." A friend of mine who happens to be a local kayaker told me that he always tries to make himself known with a noise of some sort.

Alligators are always visible from a kayak but living in Louisiana means it’s just a fact of life. We learn to tolerate each other, and kayakers have to understand that there’s always a slight risk of danger. I try not to purposefully approach them, and if I find myself near one, I try to make myself known with noise. They’re more scared of us. They’re also more powerful of us and deserve respect.

Just another reminder that we're still the visitors when it comes to wildlife in their natural habitat.

'Only in Louisiana' Experiences

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