A woman in Silver Springs State Park, Florida, filmed as she was almost knocked off her paddleboard.

She told Newsflare: "I was paddle boarding at Silver Springs State Park in December 2025 when this manatee decided to come up for air under and next to my paddleboard. As she came up, she lifted my board off the water. I was standing up and recording. Somehow I didn’t fall off.

"As I was regaining my balance, I noticed a gator crossing the river about 15 feet away from us. At this point, the camera panned from the manatee to the gator. I got underwater footage of the manatee looking for food to my left after lifting my board, and I even got underwater footage of the gator swimming away at the end of the video. This was such a unique, Floridian paddle boarding experience."

I was paddle boarding at Silver Springs State Park in December 2025 when this manatee decided to come up for air under and next to my paddleboard. As she came up, she lifted my board off the water. I was standing up and recording. Somehow I didn’t fall off.

As I was regaining my balance, I noticed a gator crossing the river about 15 feet away from us. At this point, the camera panned from the manatee to the gator. I got underwater footage of the manatee looking for food to my left after lifting my board, and I even got underwater footage of the gator swimming away at the end of the video. This was such a unique, Floridian paddle boarding experience.