OKEECHOBEE, Fla. -- A man whose arm was ripped off his body by an 11-foot alligator survived the attack by gouging its eyes during its death roll.

---

IMAGES: Alligator Rips Off Man's Arm

---

Kasey Edwards, 18, was swimming with some friends at Nubbin Slough, a canal near Lake Okeechobee, Sunday when he was attacked.

"(The alligator) took my left arm off about 4 inches above the elbow," Edwards said. "It was a pretty humbling experience."

Edwards said he was face-to-face with the gator during the attack.

"I looked back and the gator surfaced and I looked him right in the face and stared at him for 10 seconds," Edwards said from Holmes Regional Medical Center in Central Florida.

Edwards said during the fight with the alligator, he was not aware he was missing an arm.

"He dragged me under the water five times," Edwards said. "Finally, (the arm) ripped off and I wasn't aware at the time. (It) hit me in my stomach and knocked the wind out of me and I dug and took my finger and gouged its eye. It spun and turned around and went away from me. (I) didn't know I was missing an arm until I was swimming back."

The alligator was captured and Edwards' arm was found inside its stomach, the Palm Beach Post reported.

The arm was too damaged to reattach, officials said.

Edwards said his two friends brought him to shore and kept him from bleeding to death. He said he owes his life to them.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.