Face to Face at the Gator Hole – Myakka State Park

Some kayaking trips remind you that you sharing the river with creatures who've been in the ecosystem since the dino's. This photo comes from the Gator Hole in Myakka River State Park in southwest Florida. The park allows only a limited number of kayakers on the river each day. Most people paddle north from the ranger station toward the big open lake and a popular lunch spot. But we decided to head south—the less-traveled and more adrenaline-filled route. This southern stretch is about eight miles of narrow, winding creek, just 15 feet wide in places.

Eventually the river opens into a small lake, and just beyond that drop lies the Gator Hole—a deep, cool sinkhole in the river where fish congregate, and where their natural predators, the alligators, gather in impressive numbers.

On this day, we counted just under a hundred gators in or right next to the water. We paddled slowly, keeping a respectful distance, and I used a waterproof Olympus TG-5 to capture the scene. This shot is my favorite—three sets of eyes in the water with another gator resting in the background, a reminder that we were very much guests in their territory.

The paddle back upstream was almost as tense as the Gator Hole itself. With the river so narrow, passing a large gator on the bank meant knowing that a 12 foot gator can .. with just a quick hop .. cross the entire 15 foot creek. And, of course, we did have a scare with one of them deciding to slide into the creek just as we passed. But nobody was eaten. We kept calm, moved steadily, and made it back without incident—plus a story (and a photo) I’ll never forget.

If you'd like these guys sharing space in your house, you can find them in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4445489113/congregation-of-gators-at-myakka-thin