Beachgoers near Bulli rock pools had an unusual and slithery visitor on the sand on Thursday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
An elegant sea snake was first sighted washed up on the southern end of Sandon Point beach and it ended up swimming off about 100 metres north of the rock pools.
Surf Life Saving Illawarra duty officer Anthony Turner spotted the highly venomous creature when he went for a swim with a friend.
"When we came out of the water there was a sea snake about 10 metres away from our towels. It was above the high tide line," he said.
"We thought the snake might be dead so we flicked some sand near it and it raised its head.
"We weren't sure what type of snake it was but we thought it was a sea snake because of the large tail."
The lifesaver kept an exclusion zone around the snake while on the beach and he called Australian Seabird Rescue South Coast to come rescue it.
Mr Turner said it drew quite a crowd, many of whom were taking selfies with it.
"We put some water on it to keep it hydrated," he said.
"Someone unfortunately nudged it and it raced off into the water and swam through the rock platform before it disappeared."
A snake catcher told Mr Turner that it was a highly venomous elegant sea snake.
"The advice was don't touch it, stay away and ring Australian Seabird Rescue South Coast because if a sea snake is on the beach than it usually means it is sick or injured and might need care," he said.
"They can be dangerous and bite people.
"It was highly unusual to see a sea snake on the beach."
Surf Life Saving Illawarra is now seeking information from Australian Seabird Rescue South Coast so it can educate lifesavers and the community on what to do if another sea snake washes up onto a beach.
Sign up to our newsletters
