Florida Fisherman Chased By Giant Alligator In Terrifying Encounter Caught On Video

A Florida fisherman is lucky to be alive today ... 'cause the guy was nearly attacked by a giant alligator during an outing in the Everglades last weekend -- and the terrifying scene was all caught on video!!

The drama unfolded on Saturday -- when 22-year-old Tommy Lee was hunting for some tarpon on a large body of water's shoreline.

You can see in the footage ... the dude was minding his own business casting his reel -- when suddenly, a big-ass gator head emerged from the water!!!

Lee knew right away he needed to be alert -- his GoPro camera captured him saying, "You got to be careful here" -- and that's when the scariness began.

The gator climbed out of the water and took off after the guy ... and when it got within feet of Lee, he accidentally fell backward!!

Fortunately, the 11-foot-long animal stopped charging ... and after an intense standoff, it eventually retreated.

Lee was clearly excited to leave the area without gator teeth in his body ... saying on camera, "And I am outta here. Screw that!"