When Dad and I used to go down to Okeechobee every winter to fish, we had so many close encounters with gators, which if we were in a narrow canal gliding by in our boat they would give the illusion of attacking because they would scurry off the bank into the water as we got near. Gators feel safer in the water, so when they feel threatened that's what they do. But for all the world, it looks like they're attacking you! 🤣