Caught in a life-threatening situation at the bottom of the Cooper River in South Carolina, Will Georgitis found himself face to face with an alligator. The alligator clamped its jaws around Georgitis' arm, prompting him to take drastic measures for survival. Despite his attempts to fend off the alligator with a screwdriver used for extracting fossilized shark teeth, the reptile dragged him 50 feet down the river, as Georgitis recounted to The Post and Courier.
"I knew I was going to die right then and there," he shared with the Charleston newspaper.
The harrowing incident unfolded on April 15 when the alligator ambushed Georgitis as he surfaced from his dive, running low on air. In a bid to shield his head, Georgitis instinctively raised his right arm, becoming the target of the alligator's assault. Georgitis, in turn, wrapped himself around the alligator to prevent it from twisting his arm.
As the alligator dragged him to the riverbed, Georgitis found himself running out of air, with the gator's jaws exerting immense pressure on his arm. Faced with a life-or-death situation, Georgitis made a split-second decision.
"I put my feet up against him, just launched back as hard as I possibly could, and somehow ripped my arm out and not off," Georgitis recounted to ABC's "Good Morning America."
Man Attacked by Alligator While Diving for Shark Teeth
A man named Georgitis had a terrifying encounter while diving for shark teeth in the waters around Charleston. As he surfaced, an alligator made a beeline for him, attacking and causing serious injuries. Georgitis managed to swim to a friend's boat and was rushed to the hospital with a broken arm and multiple wounds that required staples.
Georgitis faces several surgeries and a lengthy recovery process. To help with his medical bills, his family has set up a GoFundMe page for donations. Despite the ordeal, Georgitis remains grateful for each moment following the attack.
Georgitis, who frequently explores the waters for fossils, has visited the attack site numerous times without incident. Alligators are typically seen from a distance, making this sudden attack a shocking and rare occurrence.
Investigation Underway Following Rare Alligator Attack
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is investigating the unusual alligator attack on Georgitis. With approximately 100,000 alligators in the state, attacks are rare and usually involve incidents on land.
Alligators in South Carolina are federally protected, leading to strict regulations on their removal or elimination. While fatal alligator attacks are infrequent, the state has seen at least six since 2016, with most occurring on land during encounters with pets or accidental falls into bodies of water.
Last year, a 69-year-old woman met a tragic end in Hilton Head while walking her dog near a golf course lagoon, falling victim to an alligator attack. In 2022, the same county witnessed another fatal incident involving an alligator, this time claiming the life of an 88-year-old woman.
Back in 2007, a 550-pound alligator launched an assault on a snorkeler at Lake Moultrie, ripping off the victim's arm. Despite the severity of the situation, the injured individual managed to reach the shore in search of help. Fortunately, five quick-thinking nurses who were at a nearby picnic provided crucial first aid until paramedics arrived.
