Kayaking thru a narrow stretch on the Estero River here in SWFL a few years back I felt my yak raise up and lurch forward and assumed a manatee had come up underneath me as this had happened to me several times before on previous outings and we had one approach us earlier down the river that day. As the yak settled down in the water I looked over the side and saw a huge gator tail swishing away from me and at that point I must have set an unofficial world record for the 50 yd. kayak dash. Gator attacks in Florida are a pretty rare occurrence though occasionally you'll here about one snatching a dog by a canal but generally they keep their distance when your out on the water.

There is a very small population of American crocodiles in Florida, mostly residing in the south but they're said to be less aggressive than American gators. I had the good fortune of seeing one sunning itself, jaws agape while kayaking in Everglades National Park near Flamingo some time ago. I don't think my wife slept too well in our tent that night.