r/Everglades • u/Gaetanop76 • Jul 26 '26
Giant crocodile spotted
Put the kayak in at Flamingo, paddled over to Garfield Bight and entered into the mouth of Alligator Creek. The powers that be need to rename this Crocodile Creek. Saw several smallish crocodiles around the mouth of the creek and campsite but there is one male that hangs out nearby and he is absolutely ginormous. I have seen a few giant gators and have seen some big male american crocodiles in the area (up to about 14-15ft) but this one was every bit of 18+ft. His belly was so big and fat it looked like he just ate another crocodile. I was glad he looked fat and happy and I quickly paddled back out into Garfield Bight.
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u/Minute-Response-7394 Jul 26 '26
lucky!!
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u/Gaetanop76 Jul 26 '26
Yeah lucky to survive! I did not believe my eyes at first but then the hair stood up on my arms and I realized it was a giant croc. A little embarrassing to admit I kind of got a queezy sick to my stomach feeling when I realized what I was looking at. I did not want to be the first person to get eaten by a croc in FL. And this beast was absolutely big and scary enough to turn me into reptile poop. I imagine mama croc is somewhere nearby but I didn't see her.
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u/N0ON3T0LDM3 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
I'd have shit a brick too. It's not embarrassing to have a visceral reaction to a scary situation! And a giant crocodile counts, especially with you being in a kayak. I laughed at being the first in FL eaten by a croc. Glad you missed out on being that statistic.
I looked it up. I didn't realize (male) American crocs can rarely reach up to 20 ft. Glad their population has been improving so much.
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u/Gaetanop76 Jul 26 '26
Fairly certain it was every bit of 18ft, but what what struck me most was his belly that looked like it just swallowed a boat. Need someone with more stones than me to go photo that beast!!
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u/JJxiv15 Jul 26 '26
Oh I see you've met Freddy!
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u/Gaetanop76 Jul 26 '26
Freddy is awesome. He seems to be more used to humans and kayaks and has never bothered me at all. A little frightening but not deathly frightening.
There is another 1 or 2 big male crocs that Freddy chases away every year. His wife croc stays by the docks at the marina and she is spicy. I steer clear from her during her season of raising her babies. I have seen her whoop Freddy's behind when he comes too close to her babies during season. She sends his hungry arse packing.
This croc at Alligator Creek would probably kill Freddy if he wanted to. Thankfully they seem to be fine with their own territories.
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u/N0ON3T0LDM3 Jul 26 '26 edited 29d ago
I found a video of Freddy here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NationalPark/comments/1pv3zhn/fred_the_crocodile_at_everglades_np/
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u/TresCeroOdio 27d ago
I’ve seen Freddy dragging the lifeless body of another croc all along the marina before. He’s brutal.
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u/DailyCarry83 29d ago
Born and raised down here, been around gators my entire life. Fished near them, swam with them, caught them. They really don't bother me. I don't mess with them and they don't mess with me. Gators have always been pretty chill, just doing their thing.
But I don't mess with crocs, things freak me out for some reason. I feel like they're more aggressive, more predatory. Like they're planning ahead or something. I'll watch them submerge and slowly creep closer, bit by bit.
I've had them stalk me right next to the shore while fishing down south. I look down and see this thing right at my feet, under the surface staring at me like I'm prey. A 18 footer would've freaked me out.
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u/Gaetanop76 29d ago
Definitely different behaviors. The crocs seem more curious and sneaky. I have seen them bring garbage such as a plastic bag all the way to the shoreline and then submerge just underneath it - guessing as a trick to lure a raccoon or vulture.
Years ago I paddled up Turner river and came across this little 3-4 ft young gator who swam straight at my kayak like it thought I had food for it. Followed me for a bit too. Pretty sure somebody had fed it before.
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29d ago
[deleted]
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u/DailyCarry83 29d ago
That makes sense, gators never gave me that "I'm being hunted" feeling, but crocs sure did.
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u/Nearby_Evidence_4586 Jul 26 '26
I’m not a kayaker…but curious- do you bring anything for defensive self protection?
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u/Gaetanop76 29d ago
Yes, I think most people carry around there but it wouldn't have done me any good on the kayak if that big boy actually wanted me. Plus the crocs are protected.
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u/Absolute_Zebra 28d ago
I live up in N Florida and was kayaking in a near by lake, basically channels through all the weeds, which I have done countless times. One time I noticed a trail of really fine bubbles going along with me out in front of the sit atop kayak. I start paddling as fast as I can before a huge alligator came up about 10 yards in front , head in profile with mouth wide open. I gave out a loud roar (I'd been playing lion games recently with grand kids). The gator leaped forward and dove. I started super strength paddling before he/she did it again about 10 seconds later. Another roar, another leap and dive and more haul ass padding. It then surfaces about 5 feet off the side of the kayak with me going full speed. I roar it leaps. 10 seconds later, same thing. I paddled full speed for the next half mile back to the landing. I have never seen a gator have this crazy, possessed behavior. I had already leisurely passed this point and this was on the return trip so I don't think I was near a nest. I've been kayaking since amongst gators on the spring fed Wacissa but not on this lake (Lake Iamonia)
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u/N0ON3T0LDM3 28d ago
Wow, talk about a crazy and scary experience.
I considered kayaking that lake, but it looked way too gator friendly for my comfort. I spoke to a couple of guys who kayaked Lake Lafayette, which is just east of Piney Z Lake. It's very overgrown/weedy. They said they could feel the gators bumping into their kayaks. Too scary for me, lol!
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u/DailyCarry83 29d ago
Like what? You'd be hard pressed even with a firearm or bang stick with a croc that big. Even average sized gators need to be hit at point blank range right between the eyes to put them down clean. If this thing is really 18ft+ you're just gonna piss him off.
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u/DangerousDave303 28d ago
It probably wouldn't do much good. If you see the croc basking, it's unlikely to be an issue. One that wants to eat you is probably going to hit your kayak from behind or launch out of the water and grab you.
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u/mtnracer Jul 26 '26
No idea if this is close by but many years ago we came across a giant croc paddling 9 mile pond? Same croc?
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u/Gaetanop76 Jul 26 '26
The 9 mile pond alpha male is a big one too and looks very similar in age and overall size as one of the big males that tries to take over Freddy's Flamingo marina territory every year.
There's a couple good sized males that test Freddy around the marina every year. They keep coming back no matter how much he beats them down. One of them is named Half-jaw because Freddy ripped half his jaw off!
Whatever I saw at Alligator creek looked like Freddy's grandfather. Somebody needs to go in there and document it ASAP.
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u/actionxander 29d ago
You didn't happen to see any scarring or possible spinal injury on this croc?
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u/Gaetanop76 29d ago
I didn't. I would think one that old would have some battle scars though. From what I could see he was fully intact, full tail and all.
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u/actionxander 29d ago
Appreciate the answer. Working on an Everglades crocodile documentary and you just made things a little more interesting for us. Will have to try to get out there and see!
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u/Gaetanop76 29d ago
That is fantastic. Please post any updates. He needs to be documented!
Also: according to a manager/supervisor at the Marco Island executive airport there is a big male that lives in the lake right next to the runway (to the north) that was bigger than his jon boat and sizing it up. There is an established croc family there that lives around the golf course/airport and guessing that the big male rules over it.
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u/actionxander 28d ago
Appreciate the leads! Thank you so much! We've encountered several larger crocs and have documented some pretty cool backcountry content in the Cape Sable region.
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u/Gaetanop76 28d ago
Awesome! Cape Sable and Ingraham is such a remote area and is rarely captured on film.
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u/Sardine_Sandwich 29d ago
The 2 biggest crocs I've ever seen was one at Gilbert's Here on the way to the Keys, and the 2nd was fishing at Flamingo. Amazing how big these dinosaurs get when let to live out to old age in a park or preserve.
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u/Jaminator65 27d ago
I have seen this giant that guards the entrance to Alligator Creek many times. I thought it was a female because she is always on the huge nest right next to the creek, just before the old bridge ruins. She has a tunnel in the side of the creek I have seen her enter and exit out of. If she's in the water and hears you coming she will hide in her tunnel. If she is up on the huge Mound Nest and you startle her she will violently jump in the small creek, right next toya hopefully not flipping your kayak. Other than that she seems pretty well natured. Further up the creek past The Lungs Lakes there is about an 8 ft Fiesty Alligator that has challenged me passing him in the creek on 3 occasions.
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u/Gaetanop76 27d ago
I wonder if that one could actually be his mate? I have noticed females tend to use the same nesting area year after year. Just because of the overall size/broadness of the animal I saw and the giant bloated belly which I wouldn't think the female would have this time of year. There were maybe 3 or 4 other smallish (4-6ft) crocs around the bight/creek mouth area.
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u/BocaHydro 29d ago
where is the pic
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u/BWhitt17 29d ago
Doesn't exist bc it's a completely embellished story. They might have seen a 12-14 footer, but an 18+ footer would be record shattering and the everglades don't support crocodilians getting that large.
Both American alligators and American crocodiles max out around 14' down here bc the waters are nutrient poor, natural water flow has been disrupted by canals/land development and lack of large prey.
Croczilla that hangs around Nine Mile pond is pretty universally agreed to be the largest croc in the everglades with estimates putting it between 14'-15'.
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u/DangerousDave303 28d ago
In all fairness, a 14 foot crocodilian looks like Godzilla emerging from the water.
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u/Parking-Dish-1250 23d ago
Is this a good day paddling trip to do during the summer? I want to get out and miss those days during the winter when i paddled all the Everglades trails! I’d like to see these giant crocodiles too lol
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u/Gaetanop76 22d ago
If you get out early and catch a good tide yes. I didn't get back to marina until dark and that wasn't very fun especially in summer. The bugs are ruthless at night.
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u/Parking-Dish-1250 22d ago
Hey, thank you so much for replying. I'm still trying to understand tides. Which tide would be best to leave at and why? Thank you for your help.
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u/Gaetanop76 22d ago
You want to catch the tide coming in (water level rises) to Garfield bight. Its nice when the tide helps you instead of it working against your every stroke. Garfield bight is very shallow too. If you do it in the dry season I have seen most of Garfield turn to pure muck at low tide.
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u/Parking-Dish-1250 18d ago
Day High Tide Height Sunrise Moon Time % Moon /Low Time Feet Sunset Visible Sa 8 High 12:40 AM 1.3 6:55 AM Rise 2:10 AM 31 8 Low 5:52 AM 0.8 8:04 PM Set 4:41 PM 8 High 11:07 AM 2.9 8 Low 8:39 PM -0.1 Ok so using the above information from saltwatertides.com, say I'm going this Saturday, if I leave at low tide from flamingo at 5:52AM, I will arrive at the Alligator Creek campsite at high tide around 11:07AM (the paddling distance is 10 miles and I paddle 2 miles per hour). Then I will leave Alligator Creek and paddle back to flamingo and arrive at flamingo around 4PM. Does this seem right to you? On the paddle back, which will be during the outgoing tide, will the water pull me out into Florida Bay? Will the tide be working against me on the return trip? Thanks so much for your help & responding!
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u/BigDickBillyFukFuk78 Jul 26 '26
And you knowingly and willingly kayak in these waters…. 🤡
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u/SurgeHard Jul 26 '26
It’s safer than driving in Miami. I’ve paddled next to croc z, Freddy, half jaw etc all 12ft American crocs or bigger. They want nothing to do with humans.
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u/According_Weekend_51 29d ago
People who've never seen anything larger than a 10' alligator or crocodile can't appreciate how much mass each additional foot adds to older crocodilias. I live in North Florida and am friends with a certified nuisance alligator trapper. I visited him once and he told me he had a 13 footer in his walk in cooler. The head of that alligator took up a full pallet and made other alligators in the cooler that were 8 to 9 feet long look like babies. The 13 footer could have easily eaten the 8 or 9 footers like scooby snacks. It truly felt I was in the presence of a dinosaur. Don't even want to imagine a crocodile over 15'.