Tips To Stay Safe on Cape Coral Canals
1. Do Not Swim in the Canals
DO NOT SWIM IN THE CANALS!!! It is very dangerous. Watercrafts such as jet skiing and other activities such as kayaking and paddle boat are OK, just please be cautious and careful and do NOT jump in the water, do NOT swim in the water. If you accidentally fall in, hurry back to your vessel. Canal sides are extremely slick, making it difficult to get out. On the bright side, the canals are not generally deep. The City of Cape Coral does a good job of dredging canals to maintain depths of 6.5′ to 7′ in center but canals are variable.
2. Never Feed Alligators
It is against the law to feed alligators! Fines and jail time can be imposed if you are caught feeding an alligator.
This comes back to the sixth rule from the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace Ethics (which you should be familiar with if you’re going to practice responsible outdoor recreation in our generation). Simply, the sixth principle guides us to ‘respect wildlife’, and restraining ourselves from feeding them is a big part of that.
The big problem with us feeding wildlife is that they become used to trusting and relying on us as a food source instead of relying on their natural ability to hunt, scavenge, forage, or otherwise collect food for themselves (and their offspring).
Some reports of the times when alligators have attacked kayakers have been the result of that kayaker trying to feed a gator. Other kayakers have reported seeing odd-behaving alligators approaching their kayak as if expecting a hand-out.
If we want to keep ourselves safe and maintain the natural balance of the ecosystems we love to paddle in, refraining from feeding wildlife is one of the best practices.
3. Don’t Make Gators Feel Cornered
It’s good to space yourself out so there’s at least 15-20 feet between each of your kayaks for example. If you keep that distance apart and travel in a straight line, you’re more likely to look like a parade than a group of hunters.
If you do see a solitary gator or a group basking on the shore, it’s okay to put your paddles down to capture a picture or two. But you should avoid having multiple kayaks pointing at or approaching a group of gators from multiple angles at the same time.
This could make the alligators feel as if they are being cornered because they might not understand that you have a camera in your hands and not something that could harm them. A gator that feels cornered can quickly become a hostile and aggressive alligator.
We all get a little territorial when we feel that our homes and our families are being threatened. You can rest assured that alligators are no different and the results of their aggression might not work out too well for your kayak group
4. Maintain a Healthy Distance
This one should also be pretty obvious, but you don’t want to paddle your kayak or canoe right up next to an alligator if you see one.
As a general rule, do your best to keep your vessel a minimum of 20 yards away from the nearest gator you can see.
Again, this comes back to respecting the gator’s territory and allowing plenty of space between your kayak and their resting place. This will reduce the risk of any gators near you feeling threatened by your presence.
The closer you get, the more you tempt fate. Typically, alligators aren’t going to remain on or near the banks of a river or lake, which means you’ll be able to keep a healthy distance by paddling a little farther offshore.
5. Leave Your Dog At Home
We know that bringing your dog along on your canoe or kayak adventures is fun and gives you that extra companionship you often crave.
But when you’re paddling in locations that you know are habitat for alligators, leave your furry companion at home.
Your canine has a better sense of smell than you, sure, but it also emits a different odor than humans. It seems that the odor of canines is more attractive to alligators than the odor of humans.
6. Avoid Going Out During Mating Season
For American alligators, courtship usually begins in April and mating occurs in May or June. Like many other animals, alligators are more aggressive and protective of their territory during mating season. After June in the Americas, females are busy preparing their nests for their eggs and males are much less likely to become aggressive due to the increased levels of hormones coursing through their bodies.
7. Beware of the “Hiss”
On occasion, alligators will emit a warning sound if they feel threatened. This is most commonly used by females that are protecting a nest and the sound is most accurately described as a hiss. If you’d like to see (and hear) exactly what this sounds like, check out the video below!
If you aren’t doing so well adhering to our other advice of maintaining a healthy distance between your kayak and an alligator, this hissing sound might be your last warning to ‘back off’ before things escalate even further.
This hissing sound should be treated much like we’re supposed to treat a rattlesnake’s rattle. When we hear it, we should immediately know that it’s time to back up and give our alligator the space he or she desires.
8. Carry an Air Horn
If you’ve read through the rest of these tips and you’re still wondering, “but what do I do if an alligator does approach my vessel?”, then here’s your answer.
It’s recommended to carry an air horn to be able to blast a loud noise to scare away an alligator that’s getting a little too close to you.
If you don’t have an air horn (or you can’t find one), you can also slap the water with your paddle and use your vocal cords to make loud noises. Not only does it make an audible sound that you and I can hear, but it also produces vibrations in the water that alligators are particularly sensitive to.