A paddleboarder in Marion County, Florida, intervened after a swimmer was bitten on the arm by an alligator in the Silver River. Mike Head paddled to the scene, used his paddle to try to drive the alligator away and helped apply a rope tourniquet until responders arrived. Authorities later trapped a 9 ft 8 in alligator from the area. The incident follows a recent fatal attack in Seminole County and underscores FWC safety advice for people near waterways.
Paddleboarder Races to Rescue Swimmer After Alligator Bite in Silver River
An alligator swims in the Wakodahatchee Wetlands on 13 January 2025 in Delray Beach, Florida.Photograph: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
A paddleboarder in Marion County, Florida, intervened after a swimmer was bitten on the arm by an alligator in the Silver River over the weekend, local authorities and news outlets report.
According to local reports, the woman was attacked while swimming on Saturday. Paddleboarder Mike Head told Fox35 he was with his family when he heard two women shout, “Gator!” and saw the animal strike. He estimated he was about 20 to 30 feet away when he paddled toward the scene.
“It was almost like a missile, and it would just kind of … I could just see the back of it,” Head recalled. “Is she dead? Do I dive in? And now I'm going to get ripped apart myself. There's a lot of things going through my head as I was paddling toward her.”
Head said the alligator had its jaws locked on the woman's arm. He used his paddle to try to drive the animal away, taking care to reposition so he would not accidentally strike the swimmer. He could not say for certain whether his paddle made contact, only that the alligator let go.
Another boater soon arrived and helped bring the injured woman to shore. Head improvised a tourniquet from a rope to slow the bleeding until emergency responders could take over. “She literally turns, she's looking at me, and she's like, 'Tie it tight,'” he told the outlet.
After the incident, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said officers trapped a 9 ft 8 in alligator in the area, WESH reported. The Guardian has contacted the FWC and the Marion County Sheriff's Office for additional comment.
Context and Safety Advice
The Silver River attack follows a fatal alligator incident last week in Seminole County's Little Big Econ State Forest, in which 31-year-old Brittany Clark was attacked while swimming and subsequently died from her injuries. Alligators are native to Florida's wetlands, rivers and lakes and are present across all 67 counties, the FWC notes.
The FWC reminds the public to never feed alligators, to keep a safe distance if one is spotted, to swim only in designated areas during daylight hours, and to keep pets leashed and away from the water. As Florida's population grows and more people recreate near waterways, encounters with alligators are becoming more common.
Sources: Fox35, WESH, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The Guardian has reached out to local authorities for further comment.
Help us improve.
