That’s no shark ...

Lifeguards at One Mile Beach in Australia blow their whistles, implying shark danger, but critter that swims up from the surf is in some ways more ominous

Brown snake swims ashore at One Mile Beach; photos by Olivia Moffatt, via the Great Lakes Advocate

Lifeguards at One Mile Beach in New South Wales, Australia, blew their whistles on Tuesday, signaling danger.
Surfers and swimmers hurried to shore and beachgoers gazed to sea, expecting to see a large shark. But what appeared in the surf, then emerged from the surf, was in some ways more ominous.
It was an eastern brown snake, nearly 5 feet long, swimming ashore directly between flags marking the swim zone.

People scattered, and with good reason. Eastern brown snakes are one of the world’s most venomous snakes, responsible for the most deaths caused by snakebite in Australia.
They can measure to about 7 feet and are surprisingly swift, and infamously bad-tempered.
They are not, however, known for enjoying a morning surf at a beach popular with tourists, and then coming to shore in the center of all the human activity.
Brown snakes typically occupy dry forests, coastal and inland grasslands and woodlands, and farmlands.
Olivia Moffatt, a visitor who took the photos that accompany this story, described the bizarre event to the Great Lakes Advocate:
“The snake traveled out of the water and remained on the shore for a while until waves washed up against it. Raising its head, it headed for shade towards the lifeguard trailer and happily sat there until again moving up along the beach to the bush.
“On the way, as we were leaving, the snake began heading back down towards the sea at a quicker pace, but was not in the ocean as we left.”
A lifeguard telephoned John Smith, a snake expert, and asked how they should proceed.
Said Smith: “I told him to just stay behind the snake. He said it was moving south towards the rocks and that he would call back if he needed anymore help, and I never heard back so it must have gone towards the rocks.”
The situation on the beach has presumably calmed, but beachgoers probably remain wary.
Meanwhile, the incident remains a popular topic on the Great Lakes Advocate’s Facebook page.
“Nowhere is safe,” wrote Nikki Rose.
“As if we didn’t have enough to worry about at the beach,” wrote Abbie Skretkowicz.
“At least it knew to swim between the flags. Lol,” wrote Sharon Howell.
Eastern brown snakes inhabit Australia’s east coast and range from the desert to the coast. While their bites may be deadly to humans, they prefer to bite small rodents, such as rats and mice.