Florida is as beautiful as it is wild and dangerous, that's why a local man has explained that you must always carry a pair of polarized sunglasses with you at all times, or at least when going fishing.
A viral clip shared on Instagram in December by the man, under the username onlyfish.239, shows him walking by what seems to be a simple stream in the middle of the day when all of a sudden he puts on polarized sunglasses, revealing something scary hiding under the water.
With the special lenses on, which gave him a better view of the water, less affected by the sun's reflection, he was able to spot one of Florida's most feared predators, an alligator, lying still under the stagnant waters of the stream.
The post comes with a caption that says: "This is why it's important to have polarized sunglasses in Florida." Followed by: "You never know what's lurking under the water when you're fishing in Florida. That's why polarized sunglasses are a must ."
Alligators can be found in all of Florida's 67 counties, and although serious injuries caused by them are rare, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) warns citizens and visitors against getting too close to the animals.
The website explains: "Remember, never feed an alligator and keep your distance if you see one. Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours. And keep pets on a leash and away from the water.
"If you are concerned about an alligator, call FWC's toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286. The FWC will dispatch one of its contracted nuisance-alligator trappers to resolve the situation."
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across Instagram. It has so far received more than 2,821,965 likes on the platform.
One user, Anwesha_behara, commented: "Florida is not for beginners." And Spikanlycan said: "I mean, I saw it before the glasses, but I'm also from Florida so I know what to look for. To another person, the gator could've very easily looked like a log before the glasses."
Exandiier said: "I literally didn't see it at all I think I assumed it was rocks or smthn LOL." And Michaud4737 added: "Florida: Where you shouldn't swim....anywhere."
Newsweek reached out to onlyfish.239 for comment via Instagram chat.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Maria Azzurra Volpe is a Newsweek Lifestyle Reporter based in London. Her focus is reporting on lifestyle and trends-related stories, ... Read more
