It's bigger than London, teeming with a staggering 30,000 dangerous alligators and is one of the deadliest lakes on the planet

Covering 1,900 km², Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in Florida. From bass to snakes, manatees to turtles, the water is teeming with wildlife, including around 30,000 alligators who call the shallow lake their home.

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This makes Lake Okeechobee one of the most alligator-infested water in Florida.

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American alligators, which can grow up to 4.5 metres long, are not fussy eaters. In Lake Okeechobee they eat anything they can sink their teeth into, including turtles, snakes, small mammals and birds. Human casualties are rare, but not unheard of. In 2025, a woman was killed by an alligator on Lake Kissimmee, which is connected to Lake Okeechobee. 

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The alligators in Lake Okeechobee are dangerous, but so is the algae. The lake frequently experiences harmful algal blooms, particularly those dominated by blue-green cyanobacteria.

The algae can produce microcystin, which is a toxin that can cause hives, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. So, if the ‘gators don’t get you, the algae just might. 

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