Diver captures dangerous sea snake on camera
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Captivating footage of a Banded Sea Snake, the most venomous snake in the world, has been shared on a Port Douglas social media site with the brave photographer Michel Perez openly admitting to the dangers associated with the film.
Posting to the Port Douglas page at the weekend, Perez says it was a “joy to swim with the Striped Knittail (Laticauda colubrina), the most venomous snake in the world.
“Its bite is ten times that of a king cobra and 40 times that of a diamondback rattlesnake,’’ Perez said.
“It feeds in the sea but lives mostly on land.
“Its bites are extremely rare but must be treated immediately.
“It is indifferent to humans and non-aggressive.’’
A Banded Sea Snake was part of a day of drama on Port Douglas’s Four Mile Beach last October when a 5m crocodile cruised the beach, swimmers being cleared from the water.
The sea snake was discovered on the beach by tourists and Life Savers were alerted to it. The snake
was captured and kept safe to be released later in the day away from swimmers.
Banded sea snakes are venomous, but they are generally non-aggressive and avoid humans. However, the narrow banded sea snake is known to be aggressive and may bite even under a little provocation.
Sea snake bites may go unnoticed, and the bites are also quite painless or produce minimal pain.
Bites most often occur when fishermen try to untangle the snakes from fishing nets. The highly potent venom can cause systemic symptoms such as muscle weakness, seizures, respiratory failure and severe paralysis.
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