Kayakers rescued from Florida river after alligator nearly flips boat

GENEVA, Fla. - Two kayakers made it back safely on land after they said an alligator nearly flipped their boat while kayaking on the Econlockhatchee River, which is northeast of Orlando.

According to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, Allison Haviland was using one of three kayaks along with another adult, two elementary school-aged children and two teenage boys when an inflatable kayak the group was using snagged something in the water and deflated.

Haviland and one teenager got into one kayak while the others proceeded with the other remaining kayak. That’s when the day on the river went from bad to worse. She said, “The gator came up, and it brushed against our kayak, and we didn’t tip over, but we came pretty close.”

She and the teenager decided to get the kayak out of the water and hike along the river before night fell. Haviland used her cell phone to call 911 for help and direct deputies to their location.

Video from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office shows an aerial view of the two stranded kayakers standing on the bank of the river while waving their arms to catch the attention of deputies flying overhead in a helicopter. It goes on to show the pair walking through the woods before being rescued.