David Zinn was fishing near sunset with his stepdad in Port St. Lucie, a city southwest of Orlando, on May 29, when he felt a tug on his line.

Together the pair rushed down to remove the hook from the shark’s “razor mouth”.

That’s when fishing took a dangerous turn.

“Down by the water, a five-foot (1.5 meters) gator lunged at us,” Zinn told 9news.com.au.

“We almost fell down the rocks into the water with both of them.

“Took us by surprise. In the end, both the gator and shark swam away safely.

Florida has, on average, seven unprovoked alligator bites per year, data from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows.

While bull sharks are deemed an “aggressive species” that can range from saltwater and freshwater environments, marine biologist Chris Lowe told 9news.com.au in January, that blacktip sharks are likely responsible for the majority of bites there.