A 13-year-old says he survived an alligator attack by punching the reptile in the head

• A 13-year-old boy was attacked by an alligator while swimming in a Florida creek last Tuesday.
• He said he punched the reptile in the head in order to save himself and swim away.

A 13-year-old was attacked by an alligator in a Florida creek and said he repeatedly punched the giant reptile in the head to save himself.

Gabriel Klimis frequents Howell Creek in Winter Springs, Florida, and joined his brother for a swim on a hot summer Tuesday last week. After using the rope swing to jump into the water, Klimis said he found his right leg between the jaws of an alligator.

"I fell in the water, and the gator just kind of grabbed me from there," Klimis recalled, speaking to the "Today" show. "Once he wrapped his jaws on me I knew there was no getting out."

Klimis instantly sprang into action and fought back against the alligator, using his hands in a fist to try to "hit it on its head," he told Today.

His methods worked. Surprisingly, the gator let go of Klimis' leg, allowing the teen to swim to shore and make it to a nearby house where he called his mom and then 911, Today reported.

In a recording with a 911 operator, Klimis calmly told the person on the line that he was bitten on his right hip but that he was "okay" and "can walk" and "stand on" his right leg.

After telling the paramedics he was "fine," Klimis received stitches and a large band-aid in the hospital for his wound, Today reported.

According to Today, Florida Fish and Wildlife caught an eight-foot alligator in the same area just days later. Although they are confident it's the same one that attacked Klimis, there's no way to be certain.