For acting student Quinn Colon, a return to Oleta River State Park was meant to be a peaceful way to reconnect with nature and confront her fear of the ocean.

While wandering through the mangroves, she found a serene spot teeming with baby fish, tiny, harmless creatures that seemed like the perfect opportunity to ease her nerves around marine life and dip her fingers.

Distracted by a nearby bug, Quinn barely noticed the hungry eel lurking in the rocks. At the last second, she moved her hand, just in time to avoid a bite.

I hadn't been to Oleta River State park since I was a kid, so I decided to go check it out after all those years. Especially since I'm afraid of the ocean (even though I'm a Florida native), I thought it would be a good idea to get more comfortable with the water. While I was on a hiking trail, I came across this little area in the mangroves with a ton of baby fish, so I decided to stick my fingers in the water to bond with them and help me get over my fear of marine life. They're tiny fish, they couldn't hurt me... right? Well, it wasn't the fish I needed to worry about! Right when I got distracted by a bug next to me, a hungry eel slithered out of the rocks. If I hadn't moved my hand when I did, it would've totally bit me!