Moment man was attacked by alligator while in Florida river

Grim GoPro footage showed the moment a murky Florida river turned red after a shark tooth hunter was attacked by an alligator. 

The mauling almost burst Jeffrey Heim's head open after he was shifting through the sand at the bottom of the Myakka River in Orlando in the hopes of finding a megalodon tooth, and felt something strike him. 

The large female alligator bit him on the head twice before he realized what was happening. The GoPro strapped to his head was recording the ordeal at the same time. 

During the attack, which happened two years ago, the camera picked up a large jolt and bubbles in the water before sinking to the ground. 

The alligator itself did not appear on camera - but the water turned a sickening shade of crimson after Heim was bitten, as blood poured from his skull.  

He believed if the waterproof GoPro wasn't strapped to his head, his injuries could have been a lot worse. 

Jeffrey Heim showed off the severe cuts to his head, as well as his bruised and swollen eyes following an alligator attack

He documented his ordeal on TikTok - showing fans clips of him strapped up in a hospital bed before getting his surgeries

Just before the attack, Heim could be seen pointing a torch in the waters of the murky swamp while hunting for the teeth of ancient sharks, known as megalodons

During the attack, his camera began to spin and drops to the surface of the river - with the water turning crimson after the gator bit Heim in the head and left him badly bleeding

The animal bit his scalp and his hand - but he managed to keep calm and avoid another hit. He got to the riverbank and called for help. 

Heim was taken to hospital, where they put 34 staples in his head. 

He documented his ordeal on TikTok - showing fans clips of him strapped up in a hospital bed before getting his surgeries. 

Heim showed off the severe cuts to his head, as well as his bruised and swollen eyes. 

'I did know the dangers but I don't think I took them seriously enough back then,' He told Florida's Fourth Estate episode. 'It was very powerful. It seemed a lot larger than it actually was.

The mauling almost burst Heim's head open after he was shifting through the sand at the bottom of the Myakka River in Orlando and felt something strike him

The large female alligator bit him on the head twice before he realized what was happening. The GoPro strapped to his head was recording the ordeal

Heim is now the owner of a company called SHRKco that collects and sells ancient shark teeth. He donates his profits to ocean research organizations

Heim also shared the survival tool he believes prevented the attack from turning deadly. 

'I saw her. She did bite me twice before I knew what was happening,' he said.

'You never want to thrash or splash or act like prey, so I stayed calm. 

'I still don't think I felt the full force of that bite. And if I did, my head would've exploded,' he said.

Despite his injuries, the attack has not put him off his passion for megalodon tooth collecting has only grown.

'Eventually, someday when I'm old, I want to have a museum of my best finds... and then pass that story on when I'm no longer here as well,' he added.

Heim is now the owner of a company called SHRKco that collects and sells ancient shark teeth. He donates his profits to ocean research organizations.