Been here a long time and never saw one much more than 8 or 9 feet... My rule No Swimming outside of a pool!

What are they eating to get that big is a good question. Whatever it is, loses!

I doubt that this will stop Swilley from diving for logs.

I saw this on the TV Evening News last night - Whoa! - Fred Griffin!!  They even showed the guy's son 'sitting on the gator' - double Yikes! from me!  I have never seen 'black or murky' water.  I can guarantee that I would never go in . . .   

That looks like a pretty good reason to stay clear of black water Fred Griffin . Here up North you may get some leaches on you but that's about it.

Fred Griffin Advice definitely worth heeding.

Well you've convinced me! That's a big dude!

I don't like ANYTHING grabbing me when I am swimming in natural waters including when my husband startles me when we are swimming in our cove of the lake in our backyard.   

As a fifth generation Floridian, I grew up with a very healthy respect for gators and water moccasins. Wherever we walked, my grandmother carried a stick with a forked end, and a tiny revolver in her pocket. 

That's alot of suitcases!

With your alligators, I wouldn't swim in the water at all!   

Q: Why do we have this saying in Florida? "Don't Swim in Black Water" --

A: you cannot see who or what is in the water.

Watch out for the dinosaurs! I hope to never encounter one that size, or even 1/10 of the size, thank you very much. Happily, we only see alligators in CO if we go to the gator farm. :0)

parked and reading

Good advice for swimmers.

Gators come to mind! We just had a 7 footer removed from an irrigation lake!

No gators in our waters but we have a shark now and then, fortunately rarely where anyone swims.

Fred Griffin that's huge - indeed! 15'! Wow!

I'd be careful anyplace outside of a pool in Florida!

OH MY GOSH! That thing is huge! Very scary, no black water for me!

I do not swim in murky water. It makes me feel disgusting and dirty. We don't have gators but lots of parasites.

I saw this on face book. Wow!  I know many people that won't get in water other a pool or amusement park. Only clear water.

I think that would be a good reason to not swim in ay water in florida, except in the pool.

I saw this on the Internet Fred Griffin.

This is for real? I thought it was some photo-shopped Internet joke. 

I heard about this alligator. I have mixed feelings about it being killed. 

Wow. And to think I used to ski in many of the inland lakes that were full of gators.

Never have, never will! That is why we have caged pools here...

Yes Fred and also because of water snakes.

I saw that picture, which is why i would never swim in a river or lake again in Florida

A picture is worth a thousand words! 

Fred,

I hear you and I promise I will not swim in murky water.  We have been to Florida so many times (different areas), and I have not taken a swim there.  A

Black water on a ship, RV or houseboat has a murky history.  Beware!

Works for me! But my husband's son had a gator in his pool one day. Sometimes blue clear water isn't great for swimming either 

That is the reason for sure & I didn't even see the pic. 

I don't understand why someone would want to kill something that is that old. He was pretty tough to make it to 800 lbs so give it a break.

This is just some machismo guy thing.

Almost in my backyard is Jonathan Dickinson Park and as a treat when my Northern friends visit we sometimes canoe up Kitching Creek. It's brackish so there is some tidal action and when it's low this time of year the gator party almost surrounds you. I think we've had 12 footers there but this one's appetitie would be too much for that little tributary. He's a big 'un Fred!

No idea never heard that saying.   They sould get a couple pairs of boots out of that guy

Doesn't make any difference where but that it will not get me.

And if we see brown water here we wouldn't swim in it for fear of hepatitis!

Having lived a short time in Florida, I have been looking for alligators every time I take a walk around the block. So lucky that I haven't spotted any and if I had seen one this size...well, I might be relocating to Montana!

Danm!!!!  I'm staying the heck outta Florida!!

I may never go swimming in Florida again.

Gators are a part of Florida.

The last human casually of a Florida (here in Tampa Bay) gator was a villain eluding capture by the ones pledged to serve and protect. The last of a long series of bad decisions was to hide in the swamp.

Gator are increasingly more difficult to experience here. Too many folks from NJ want Florida to become a NJ mall. 

Just stay out of the black water. And whe treking, your eyes open. They really can't sneak up on you. But, those NJ folks need a Selfie and that is another in a long string of bad decisions.

Every summer I go on the Clyde Butcher Swamp Walk in Big Cyrpess Swamp.  This is a rare opportunity to see Florida as very few do.