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A viral TikTok video captured the jaw-dropping moment a 12-year-old Texas wakesurfer came face‑to‑face with an alligator, but played it cool despite the scare.
Clair Hurta, a competitive wakesurfer backed by Pure Wakesurf, was taking a break between practice runs on the Colorado River near Bay City, Texas, this past weekend when an alligator suddenly surfaced just feet behind her. The close call, captured on video by her mother, Crystal Hurta, has since racked up nearly 543,000 views of TikTok.
In the clip, Clair is seen smiling and laughing moments before she turns and notices the gator swimming several feet behind her. She looked at it, turned around, and gave the camera another smile, seemingly unfazed.
According to Crystal, who grew up on the same river, the reptile was “pretty big,” with its head distinctly visible above the water.
“Clair looked at it and just shrugged it off—she wasn’t worried. Now, a snake would make her walk on water,” Crystal told Chron.
Clair Hurta, a 12-year-old competitive wakesurfer, encountered a nuisance alligator in the Colorado River in Texas over the weekend (TikTok/@malibuwakeclm288)
After capturing the viral clip, the duo left the area immediately and reported nuisance gators to Texas game wardens.
“We know they are there, but seeing them isn’t something I like,” Crystal said. “She was surfing, and once she fell and I went back to pick her up, I noticed the gator swimming across and was able to capture that moment. It was far enough away to where I wasn’t worried, nor was Clair.”
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says that while alligators are common in parts of the state, they typically pose little threat. That is unless they lose their natural fear of humans or begin associating people with food or boats. Those are considered “nuisance” gators and should be reported.
Fellow TikTok users commended the pre-teen for her remaining calm during the interaction.
“You guys are bread different! I would have lost my sheet (sic),” one person commented.
“Damn you guys are truly built different. Don’t think I could do that,” another said.
A local added, “That gator actually scared me and I was in the boat. Idk how Clair wasn’t like screaming.”