Florida Swimmer Warned as Giant Sea Creature Approaches: ‘Keep Backing Up’

A swimmer had a remarkably calm encounter with a giant eel while enjoying a leisurely dip off the coast of Jupiter, Florida.
A video, captured by 44-year-old Tamara Barbosa, the on-site manager and tour guide for Get Up And Go Kayaking Jupiter, shows the eel heading towards an unsuspecting swimmer, who then had to remain calm and hope for the creature to pass by.
“I was at our launch site waiting for our tour to come in off the water when I noticed the moray eel,” Barbosa told Newsweek. “I started filming because we rarely see an eel, let alone that size, so out in the open like that.”
In the footage, Barbosa can be heard instructing the swimmer to “keep backing up” because there was a “giant moray eel right in front of you.” The eel, to the relief of the swimmer, began moving away shortly after.
The video, which has been viewed over 391,000 times on Instagram, shows the woman enjoying her time in the water in an inflatable ring and a snorkel, and she can be heard saying: “That is awesome” when she spotted the marine animal.
Barbosa explained to Newsweek: “When it started swimming towards the mangroves, I noticed a person snorkeling, but could only see feet originally. I was hoping someone knew their name so I could get their attention but she heard me the first time I said “hey buddy.” I calmly told her to back up because I didn’t want her to be spooked if the eel came up along side her.
“Luckily, she listened and slowly backed up. The eel was never threatening or swimming to attack, it was just curious and exploring.”
“But if commotion started happening in the water, the eel may have been spooked and could have potentially bitten the closest thing to it, like the lady snorkeling, so I was doing my my best to make her aware of her surroundings.”
If an attack by a moray eel on a human occurs, it can cause irritation, pain and allergic reactions. However, their toxins are not considered lethal.
Florida’s Coral Reef states that there are more than 6,000 species of marine life in its parameters.
According to American Oceans, moray eels are identifiable by their long snake-like appearance and sharp teeth and they can grow up to 13 feet in length. They are found in warm and shallow waters, like the intracoastal waterways of the Southeast of the U.S., a popular location for water-based activities such as snorkeling and kayaking.
According to Statista, snorkeling is a hugely popular activity in the U.S. As recently as 2017, around 8 million people took part in the water-based activity.
“The Intracoastal Waterways are home to an abundant amount of marine life and every tour we have is different as to what we see,” Barbosa said. “I had seen this size eel once before in a different location but never that close to our launch site so typically not something we have to worry about but certainly aware of.”
Instagram users were wowed by the encounter. One person with the username @ur.usuff wrote: “You are very lucky, it did not bite you.”
Another, @idkuutx, said: “Would’ve been a bad day if she flipped out.”
Others expressed fascination with the creature. @vinnycap2 commented: “This is awesome!”
Meanwhile, @rebeccakessler13 simply said: “He was amazing!! Beautiful!!”
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