A father in Florida managed to get close-up footage of an alligator snapping at a GoPro that he lowered into a canal.

David Frei wanted to get a "cool underwater" shot of the gator so he angled the device attached to a fishing line down into the water.

Moments later the reptile took a ferocious lunge at the camera.

Frei told Newsflare: "I guess the gator though the GoPro was food and it decided to take a chomp of the GoPro. I was totally stunned and did my best not to panic and snap the line. The gator spat out the camera, and the rest is GoPro history!"

The father managed to capture a second angle of the incident. He added: "As surprised as I was, I didn’t panic and pull back on the line, not wanting to snap the line. Once the gator realised the camera was not food, it gently dropped it."

I was fishing a Florida canal when a fairly sizeable gator approached. I didn't feel comfortable casting around the gator, so I figured I'd. switch up a lure for my GoPro and get a cool underwater shot of the gator in the canal. I guess the gator though the GoPro was food (don't feed alligators, people!), and it decided to take a chomp of the GoPro. I was totally stunned, and did my best not to panic and snap the line. The gator spat out the camera, and the rest is GoPro history!

I will be also finding a new spot to fish! lol

Second angle. I was fishing in a canal in Florida, when a large gator approached. Not wanting to hook the gator, but wanting to get a cool underwater shot, I snapped off my lure and tied my GoPro to the fishing rod. All I wanted was a capture of the gator submerged in the water. The alligator had other plans. As surprised as I was, I didn’t panic and pull back on the line, not wanting to snap the line. Once the gator realized the camera was not food, it gently dropped it.