Alligator Attacks Woman at Nudist Camp

T A M P A, Fla., June 29 -- A Florida woman is recovering after being attacked by a 350-pound alligator this week while swimming at a nudist camp lake.

Dagmar Dow, 43, was swimming with her husband Raymond Wednesday afternoon at the Lake Como Nudist Resort, near Tampa, Fla., when the nearly 10-foot-long reptile clamped on to her foot.

"I looked over at my wife and she went down just like if you could picture one of the scenes out of Jaws where the shark takes them from the surface," said Raymond Dow. "Like a giant vacuum cleaner just sucked her straight into the water."

He said he kicked the alligator in the head until it released his wife, and pulled her to safety to a nearby beach.

New to Town, and Unfamiliar With Gators

The couple recently moved to the Tampa area from Montana, and said they knew little about the alligator threat.

"Everybody said it would be safe except you shouldn't swim at night. But they say daytime would be fine," said Dagmar Dow.

They had been swimming in the lake regularly.

Doctors aren't sure if they will be able to save Dow's leg, but say that she was lucky to have survived the attack.

Trappers later caught the animal.

ABCNEWS' Robert Pankau in Tampa, Fla., contributed to this report.