Sykes tells ABC11 she loves photographing alligators and realized the sighting was close to the accounting office she was visiting for an appointment so she jumped in her car and headed over to take a look.
"I watched it for over an hour," Sykes said over the phone. "It really seemed to be relaxing and enjoying the waves. The bugs can get really terrible this time of year in the marsh, so, it was probably getting washed off."
Sykes says the gator was about five feet long and didn't pose a threat to anyone around it. The Oak Island Police Department posted safety tips on its Facebook page after getting several calls for alligator sightings on the island, adding it is normal for this time of year.
Alligators typically mate from mid-May to early July in North Carolina, according to the state Wildlife Resource Commission. The gator has been safely relocated.