A 10ft-long alligator joined nervous beach-goers in basking in the surf and soaking up the sun.
The fearsome reptile swam ashore at Melbourne Beach, Florida, despite alligators not usually found in saltwater.
Kyle Hussey, who posted a picture of the beast on Facebook, told FOX 35 News he was at the beach when it swam right up to the shore from the sea.
It then lay in the surf for a short while before a Florida Fish and Wildlife officer showed up and the alligator swam off into the waves.
He said: "Definitely something you don’t see every day."
His post on the Brevard County Surf Fishing Report Facebook page was captioned ‘Watch your toes' and it was shared thousands of times.
This is the second sighting of alligators on beaches in recent weeks.
Startled beachgoers watched on in disbelief as a massive 12-foot alligator walked through the surf on Delray Beach, Florida.
Officers with the local animal conservation body responded after a number of people contacted them after seeing the alligator.
The creature was safely caught and brought to a local farm.
Although they can tolerate salt water for a short period they much prefer freshwater.
Witness T.J. Tamaccio said: "It was crazy. I just rolled up to the beach doing my routine, and I saw the commotion. I thought it would be a little shark or something.
"I was trying to think where it came from. It must have been far out there but probably came from Boynton Inlet and got lost had to get to land and beach itself."
Florida, which is riddled with fresh water lakes and wetlands, is the perfect environment for alligators to thrive.
When Hurricane Ian tore through the area, alligators were seen roaming the waterlogged streets.
One of the huge reptiles appeared during an NBC News report when reporter Jesse Kirsch spotted the animal as he reported on the storm in Orlando on Friday.
He told viewers: "Whenever we cover floods, we are always trying to stress that you do not want to go into the waters.
"This is about as good a reason why as you should not go in the water. And I do not know if that is the same alligator that had been hanging out in the front yard right near us."
The alligator was seen in a neighbourhood which is near permanent water.
Residents had been spotted walking the flooded street just moments before the reptile was seen.
According to the Everglades National Park, the largest alligator ever recorded measured 17 feet, 5 inches.
Despite their fearsome reputation, alligators attacks are rare in Florida.
Between 1948 and 2021 there were 442 unprovoked alligator bites in the state, averaging six a year. Of those bites, 26 were fatal, which means there was one fatal injury nearly every three years in the state.
In August this year a pensioner was tragically killed and "held hostage" in an apparent deadly alligator attack.
