Alligator Attacks Man Kayaking Along North Carolina River, Incident Caught On Camera

A North Carolina man kayaking along the Waccamaw River was attacked by an alligator. The incident was caught on camera.

On Sunday, Peter Joyce was kayaking through the swampy section of the river when he had an unexpected encounter with the giant reptile. Joyce initially thought it was a fish jumping near the bank.

"When it was about three feet from the side of the boat is when I actually got a good look at the head," he told CNN. "Not enough time to really react, anyway."

The alligator charged at Joyce, who lost balance and fell into the water. Luckily, he was able to get hold of some dangling tree branches and avoided the boat from turning upside down.

"If it hit and there was nothing to grab on the right side of me, I would have inverted," Joyce told WECT. "It could’ve been a lot worse."

Joyce said he did not spot the reptile after this but he felt the giant brushing against the bottom of his boat as it swam by. Once he managed to sit upright, he banged the side of his kayak hoping to scare the reptile away.

"That's what I thought about was that the thing was going to go for a second hit or something," he told CNN.

He reacted instinctively and grabbed his paddle and got out of the area. The terrifying moments were caught on Joyce’s body cam.

"The video doesn't really do justice to the impact because it hit hard enough that it was able to displace my balance and that's where I started to roll," he told CNN.

Joyce, who is a firefighter, paramedic, and an experienced kayaker, says this isn’t the first time he has seen an alligator during a trip, but it is the first time one has ever attacked him.

"Usually they make a splash or move and make a ruckus in the water," Joyce told WECT. "But this was a continuous charge from about 20 feet away. It definitely made me think a little bit differently what their capabilities are."

Alicia Davis, an alligator biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, says as the mating season is over and the females are tending to their nests, the gators get active during this time of the year.

"It could have been a female that was trying to intimidate him, maybe a little bit, because they are a little bit aggressive around their nests," she told CNN. "Mostly they try to intimidate you if you get too close."

Joyce suffered no injuries during the incident. He said he plans to come back to paddle this section of the river but will choose a different time of the year. His kayak sustained no damage.