TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Three women relaxing on inflatable tubes had an unexpected close encounter with an alligator Friday along the Ichetucknee River near Fort White.

A TikTok video, since viewed nearly 6.5 million times, shows Carole Chapuis and her friend drifting into a log occupied by a sunning alligator.

As all seems normal the calm is interrupted with a shriek.

“Get out of here!” Chapuis says in the video. “It’s hissing at her!”

The woman kicks off the log and moves away from the resting animal.

“I’ve never seen a gator on the Ichetucknee ever!” the woman says.

Chapuis told wire service Storyful she believed the animal was protecting its nest.

“Alligators normally go into the water when approached to get away from humans,” she said. “Chances are she was a mama gator protecting her nest that was close to her somewhere.”