Florida woman is bitten in the HEAD by nine-foot alligator while snorkeling at beauty spot - with photo taken moments later showing predator lurking behind her

A Florida woman was bitten in the head by a nine-foot alligator while snorkeling at the Alexander Springs Recreation Area over the weekend.

Marissa Carr was snorkeling and swimming with her friend Shane on November 5 when an alligator bit her face.

Photographs show Carr bleeding from her head while the alligator swam in the background.

She was immediately taken to a nearby hospital after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to a call they received from the Park.

A nuisance alligator trapper also responded to the scene and removed the 9-foot-long alligator from the waters.

Carr told Fox35 Orlando: ‘I ripped the mask off and I turn and see the two little eyes sticking out of the water.

‘It didn’t hurt bad in the moment. And then like, as I was running back and like, I saw what it was, that’s when it started hurting. I was like, my forehead hurts really bad and my neck isn’t like so much pain.’

Shane described the moment as: ‘I just heard a rush of water and I turned around to make sure she was OK. And I just saw the gator.

‘I saw her head in its mouth.’

Photographs show Carr bleeding from her head while the alligator swam in the background

She explained that she was wearing a full-face snorkel mask, not just swimming goggles, which she believes was the reason her injuries were not far worse

The USDA Forest Service describes the Alexander Springs Recreation Area as a 'naturally gently sloped spring pool with a constant 72°F and extraordinarily clear waters' — The USDA Forest Service describes the Alexander Springs Recreation Area as a ‘naturally gently sloped spring pool with a constant 72°F and extraordinarily clear waters’

The Alexander Springs Recreation Area is the only location in the Ocala National Forest where scuba diving is permitted

Carr said that the entire incident took place in a matter of seconds and she did not even realize what had happened.

She explained that she was wearing a full-face snorkel mask, not just swimming goggles, which she believes was the reason her injuries were not far worse.

‘Sounds bad, but it biting my head is probably the best place that it could have been because like, if it would have got my arm and that it would have got a better grip on my arm and I could have lost my arm or just like my life in general.

‘So like, I think the head he didn’t get a good grip of it. So I think I’m genuinely just really, really lucky,’ she told the channel.

The USDA Forest Service describes the Alexander Springs Recreation Area as a ‘naturally gently sloped spring pool with a constant 72°F and extraordinarily clear waters’.

It is also the only location where in the Ocala National Forest where scuba diving is permitted.

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This article by Ishita Srivastava was first published by The Daily Mail on 7 November 2023. Lead Image: A nuisance alligator trapper also responded to the scene and removed the 9-foot-long alligator from the waters.