Alligator attacks kayaker in Florida (VIDEOS)
An alligator jumped up at Thomas Swiader Jr. as he fished from his kayak on Triplet Lake in Casselberry, Florida.
Kayaker Thomas Swiader Jr., 26, and his girlfriend's Yorkshire Terrier, Buffy, were attacked by an alligator on Triplet Lake in Casselberry, Florida, and it was all caught on a helmet-cam.
The alligator leapt out of the water, hitting Swiader in the arm and knocking Buffy into the water, according to Fox News. He said he had gone to do some fishing on what he thought were calm waters, and that it gave him the shock of his life.
"I had a line out at the time. I was just sitting there relaxing," Swiader said. "It happened so fast, I didn't know what happened. It hit me so hard; it whacked me in the arm. My arm was throbbing. I'm surprised I didn't go in the water."
More from GlobalPost: Alligator attacks 90-year-old woman in Florida
"It was a little windy so it was hard to fish. I kind of paddled to this little island," he told the Daily Mail. "I was probably there for 10 or 15 minutes and literally out of nowhere the alligator came out and lunged at me."
According to the Daily Mail, the Fall River, Massachusetts, native said he thought the alligator was between seven and eight feet long, and that it could have been after the Yorkie.
Luckily, both Swiader and Buffy escaped the attack, although the fisherman is now reconsidering his hobby.
"It makes me question fishing and sitting still, that's for sure," he said to the Orlando Sentinel. "If I'm in the kayak, I'm going to be moving. I'm counting my blessings on that one."