Community Updates

Safety Tips and Facts To Keep in Mind During Alligator Hatching Season

  • Assume every body of water contains an alligator.
  • Stay at least 60 feet (4 car lengths) away from alligators.
  • Alligators are ambush predators and can move faster than you or your pets.
  • Keep yourself, pets and children away from water’s edge.
  • Swimming or wading is prohibited in Sea Pines’ waterways.
  • Feeding or harassing alligators is dangerous and illegal.
  • When fishing or crabbing do not throw used bait or fish parts into the water.

Nesting & Alligator Hatchlings:

  • Breeding begins in the spring and about a month later the female will lay 30-50 eggs in a nest constructed by mounding mud and vegetation together making them hard to see. When aware of an alligator nest, Sea Pines Security will place a warning sign.
  • The eggs are kept warm by the decomposing vegetation and hatch approximately 60 days later (typically in August/September). The female will aggressively guard the nest and protect the young after they emerge.
  • Stay away from the water’s edge and at least 60 feet from all alligators.

Click here to view/print the Digital Guide to Living with Alligators.

To report an aggressive or nuisance alligator or to report any safety concerns regarding alligators, immediately contact the Sea Pines Security Department Dispatch Phone Line at 843.671.7170.