WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. – Howell Creek runs beneath the Cross Seminole Trail close to Tuscora Drive in Winter Springs. Under the bridge, there’s a rope swing — a favored spot for children to leap into the water.

Noel Keller says that’s where a large gator lunged towards him and his dogs this week.

“I was hiking toward the mouth of the creek at Lake Jesup with my dogs, and I didn’t let them enter the water because I’m aware of the many gators around here. So, I returned thinking, ‘man, I’m hot. I’ll take a dip in the creek I always visit,’” recounted Keller. “As soon as I stepped into the water, this gator – probably nine feet long – darted out.”

Keller said it was probably half a foot away from him at the time. He said the animal was “super aggressive.”

“It was there for a reason,” Keller remarked. “It knows children have probably been there, and it was hunting pets and the like.”

Keller shared with our News 6 team that he was born and raised in Florida and has experienced numerous encounters with alligators, but this was the largest he’s ever witnessed.

“He was ready to hurt someone, for sure,” said Keller.

Keller snapped a video and several photos of the creature with his cellphone. The visuals were shared on social media, and news is already circulating online, urging caution in the vicinity.

Two years ago, a 13-year-old boy told News 6 an alligator bit his hip while he was visiting the same spot with his little brother.

“I just felt a tug on me, and I knew instantly what it was,” Gabriel Klimis shared with News 6 in 2023. “I just slapped the water and started to push him off.”

When our News 6 team visited the area Wednesday, we noticed a flyer for an 84-pound husky mix that went missing Sunday. It said the dog was an “excellent swimmer” and disappeared shortly after they arrived at the swimming hole.

“You just have to be extra cautious,” said one man who was walking the trail Wednesday. “It’s just part of living in Central Florida.”

Keller said this alligator got too close for comfort.

“It definitely shocked me,” said Keller. “You’re in their territory. I mean, you go to know that being in Florida. Every time I take my dogs to the creek I’m ready to jump in the water and wrestle a gator. Not that I want to, just because I know that’s a risk. My dog could get bitten. I’m responsible for it. So, I mean, if you’re a kid you always got to be responsible. Have fun, but just always know that there could be something in that water.”

Howell Creek feeds right into Lake Jesup on the other side of S.R. 434. The lake is home to over 13,000 alligators, according to estimates from wildlife officials.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission encourages anyone who is concerned about an alligator to call the toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286). FWC says generally, an alligator is deemed a nuisance if it is at least 4 feet in length and the caller believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property.

The FWC also offers the following precautionary measures near alligators, including in or near the water, to reduce the chances of conflicts:

• Keep pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge. Pets often resemble alligators’ natural prey.

• Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours and without your pet. Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn.

• Never feed an alligator. It’s illegal and dangerous. When fed, alligators can lose their natural wariness and instead learn to associate people with the availability of food. This can lead to dangerous circumstances for yourself and other people who could encounter the alligator in the future.