HAUNTING photos show a woman’s bloody face after an alligator chomped down on her head at a popular swimming area.

Marissa Carr was snorkeling with a friend at Alexander Springs Recreation Area near Ocala, Florida when she was attacked.

An eerie picture obtained by local Fox affiliate WOFL showed the dark shape of the nine-foot creature lurking in the water behind the bloodied woman, who was bitten on the forehead over the weekend.

“I ripped the mask off and I turn and see the two little eyes sticking out of the water,” Carr told WOFL.

“It didn’t hurt bad in the moment. And then like, as I was running back and I saw what it was, that’s when it started hurting.

“I was like, my forehead hurts really bad and my neck is in so much pain.”

Marissa’s friend, Shane, who was in the water with her described the terrifying moment.

“I just heard a rush of water and I turned around to make sure she was OK. And I just saw the gator,” he said.

“I saw her head in its mouth.”

Photographs taken by an onlooker showed Marissa and Shane both holding their snorkeling masks as blood runs down Carr’s face.

Behind the pair, the alligator can be seen lurking in the water.

Marissa has credited her full-face snorkel mask for saving her from more severe injuries and possibly even her life.

“Sounds bad, but it biting my head is probably the best place that it could have been,” she said.

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“Because if it would have got my arm … I could have lost my arm or just like my life in general.

“I think the head, he didn’t get a good grip of it. So I think I’m genuinely just really, really lucky.”

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission told Fox News that a trapper found the alligator and removed it from the area.

The incident came just days after a 79-year-old man was snorkeling at the recreation area and “bumped” into a gator on November 1.

While he received a non-life-threatening injury, he was not bitten by the animal.

Florida Fish & Wildlife did not give any further details but announced the temporary closure of Alexander Springs.

The US Forest Service said: “The Alexander Springs swim area is now reopened following a brief closure today.

“The temporary closure was necessary for public safety following an alligator-related incident this morning.

“The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission immediately responded and completed their investigation. No alligators were harmed or removed from the area, as a result of this investigation.

“Water recreation activities have resumed at the site…please remember that forests, springs, and other public lands are home to many wildlife species – on the ground, in the air, and underwater.”

Alexander Springs was closed once again following this latest incident but has since reopened, according to WOFL.

Carr said that getting bitten has not deterred her from snorkeling.

The FWC urges anyone concerned about an alligator to call the hotline at 866-392-4286.

The U.S. Sun has reached out to the US Forest Service for comment.