This feller was about 14, maybe 15 feet long given the standard for measurement which is the distance from the top of the head between the eyes to the end of the snout. He was a good 15 inches. I was closer to him than I really wanted to be. :er:
for me the shot is ok... i would have liked to see him coming toward the camera rather then starting to move away
In general, unless a goodly distance away, the only time a gator in the wild will come at you head on is if he sees a free meal. I was about 5 feet away and not really comfortable even though I was on a largish boat.
Good job having the presence of mind to get this shot, at that distance! My main focus would have been paddling away.
splash your hand in the water and chirp like a baby gator. It will get them close enough to grab. Gators are all big babies- you don't have to worry about them too much when you can see them. Caimans are the nasty ones. Also, as a heads up the largest gators in florida rarely break 12'. An 11' gator is huge in this state. Once you get into Louisiana they get bigger though. It's hard to tell from this photo without much to scale it by but it does not look over 8' to me. I agree with Blue Cobalt as far as the photo goes. Every tourist that goes through the Everglades has this type of shot. You need to set yours apart by getting a better angle.
