OT: Alligators and sharks. Scary or no?

Gators don't bother me. I grew up fishing in creeks, rivers, and ponds that had gators everywhere. Sharks are searching shallow water for food on every beach in the world.

This one though.....this one freaked me out. Literally next door counties.

 
As we near football season, I thought it would be fun to have a decidedly off topic thread where we can all learn a little something about our fellow posters and where they live. We have a heavy presence in the south and as a northerner who enjoys swimming in lakes or being near a river, I always wonder if that’s something that you’re able to do without fear of being lunch for a big gator (or shark if you’re near the ocean).

So, tell us what it’s like where you live. Is water accessible to you? What activities do you enjoy? Swimming, fishing, personal water craft? Do you need to be careful where you go, or are my northerner fears overblown? For me, the only dangers are drowning, getting hit by a drunk boater or getting caught in a storm.

I ask because a poster on an MSU board, who is a canoe enthusiast, is currently on a 2 week vacation in the southeast. He’s canoeing at a bunch of different rivers that are highly rated. He was having a great time until he had an encounter with a huge gator in a Florida river. I was also told by a charter boat captain that fishermen don’t swim in the ocean, but I don’t know if that’s true. Alligators and sharks scare the shit out of me…is that something that you worry about? For those that live in the desert, mountains or a big city, do you share my fears of big animals that live in the water?
I live in the Mountains. We have lots of white water and I love to kayak. My spouse loves to fish, but I hate it. He fishes with waders and in a boat. There are no sharks or Crocs around here. We do go to the ocean often. I like to dive and he of course likes to fish. Sharks are in the ocean, but if one gets too close I show him my Orange an he swims off. Sharks aren't dumb.
 
Gators don't bother me. I grew up fishing in creeks, rivers, and ponds that had gators everywhere. Sharks are searching shallow water for food on every beach in the world.

This one though.....this one freaked me out. Literally next door counties.

Some godless liberal bought it, brought it, and abandoned it. Couldn’t get a fucking collie, oh no, gotta have a goddamned lizard monster.
 
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