We used to swim in the local pond with volunteer shotgun toting dads patrolling the perimeter for gators.
LOL! I lived in Cocoa Beach in third grade. We rode our bikes to school which was at least a mile away. Next year we moved to Jax and our neighborhood was on a river. We built rafts and floated all over the place. Gators were everywhere. My Dad said “watch out for gators and moccasins”. So we did.