If there’s one place you don’t want to run across a giant, 15-foot alligator, it’s on a beautiful golf course in sunny Florida. Sadly (or awesomely, depending on your feelings about alligators), that’s exactly what happened at Buffalo Creek Golf Course in Palmetto, Florida, yesterday afternoon. Golfer Charles Helms and a friend were enjoying a beautiful day out on the green when the massive reptile made a chilling appearance. Helms was so shocked by the creature’s size that he was convinced that it had to be a prank of some sort. And when you see this footage, you probably won’t believe your eyes either. (via The Guardian) Apparently, this massive gator is seen fairly regularly around Buffalo Creek. One employee even refers to it as the unofficial mascot of the golf course! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/golf-gator/
Driving a boat is harder than it looks on TV or in the movies. Not only do you have to captain the vehicle, you also need to be paying attention to the radar and the radio so that you don’t crash into any nearby ships. You should be aware of the status of the mechanics, too, lest you stall out on the open sea. Crazy things can happen. When a small speedboat’s engine stalled off the New Jersey coast, the people on board found themselves right in the middle of a shipping lane with a humongous container ship bearing down on them. This is seriously tense. (via Reddit) Those people were literally inches from getting run over. The big man upstairs must have been smiling on them that day. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/almost-crushed/
Just ask any firefighter and they’ll tell you that magnesium fires are no joke and they can lead to some serious injuries and destruction of property. Magnesium is a combustible metal that’s becoming more and more common in our everyday lives. Typically, there is not enough magnesium in our devices to pose a threat, but when you get enough of it in one spot, accidents can happen. That’s when magnesium fires start. Fighting these blazes is extremely difficult because you cannot use water to extinguish them. In fact, water just makes them worse. Magnesium fire burns so hot that it actually causes water molecules to break into their component elements, which can then combust. As a demonstration, I present to you the St. Louis Fire Department trying to extinguish a magnesium blaze. (source: Firefighter 911) Well, that is absolutely terrifying. Now I’m doubly uncomfortable with the fact that I live so close to an industrial park. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/magnesium-fire/