This was a big gator, about 10 feet long and pretty wide. I came across him while I was hiking through the Orlando Wetlands Park. This area was constructed as a water treatment facility for the city of Orlando and has been up and running for almost 20 years. The water is clear and full of all types of native Floridian flora and fauna. There were gators scattered all over  along the waters banks, we actually had to watch pretty closely to make sure we didn’t step on one. You usually don’t see the big gators in nature preserves, as soon as they hear you coming they shoot underwater and hide themselves away. Most will carefully watch you to see if you pose any threat, then they will move extremely quickly in the opposite direction. This alligator did the opposite. I was about 4 feet away from him and getting down on the ground to get as close as I could to set up my shot and he slowly started rising. He started inching towards the edge of the bank and rising up in the water to get a better foot hold to make his move. Since I didn’t feel like a wrestling match with this old dinosaur, I got myself out of there, after I got the shot.