A 12-year-old wakesurfer kept calm when an 8-foot alligator swam by on the Colorado River during practice.
BAY CITY, Texas — A jaw-dropping moment was caught on camera over the weekend when a 12-year-old wakesurfer had an unexpected visitor during practice on the Colorado River.
Clair Hurta, a rising star in the wakesurfing world, was preparing for another round behind the boat when an alligator surfaced just feet away from her. The moment was captured on video by her mom, Crystal.
“My daughter Clair, she is a competitive wakesurfer, and we’re out there on the river all year, 12 months a year, training,” Crystal told KHOU 11’s Stephanie Simmons. “You see them [alligators] every now and then on the banks. You know they’re there, but when you actually catch the moment on camera and one is coming across, you kinda get a little ‘wooo!’”
The video shows Clair in the water waiting for her next set when the gator pops up nearby, calmly swimming past. But despite how close the encounter was, Clair stayed impressively calm.
“At first I didn’t think it was big, but then I looked again and I was like, that’s a big gator! OMG!” she said, estimating the reptile was about 8 to 9 feet long.
“I think with Clair, the gators don’t phase her much,” Crystal said.
Snakes, on the other hand, Clair isn’t a fan of.
According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, most alligators can be scared off easily. But if one repeatedly follows boats or shows no fear of people, it may be considered a “nuisance gator.” In those cases, officials urge the public to report the sighting.
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