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'It snapped': Family's dangerous discovery while walking on beach

A man in Dubai has come across a highly venomous snake while strolling with his family on the beach, eventually throwing it back in the water.

The video was filmed on Al Sufouh Beach in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, while 37-year-old Ken Mack, originally from Scotland, along with his wife, Victoria, and their seven-year-old son were strolling on the beach on Friday night (local time).

They first came across the snake writhing in the sand and Mr Mack estimated it was more than a metre long.

Pictured left is a person touching a sea snake on a Dubai beach. On the right is a woman trying to wrangle the snake with a stick.
Ken Mack and his family found a snake on Dubai beach and threw it in the water. Source: Newsflash/Australscope

"We picked it up by the tail and threw it back into the water. It tried to snap at us though when we lifted it. The night could have ended very badly for me if it had bit me," he said.

Mr Mack, an investor and business mentor, said it was very rare to come across a snake on the beach in Dubai, adding: "I walk along there quite regularly and never saw anything like that before.

"(My son) came running back to us and said, 'Look, look I've found a big snake'. We went to look at it and were immediately taken aback by how huge it was."

After several attempts to return the reptile to the sea, Mr Mack said his wife "lifted it by the tail and flung it back in the water".

"It was dry when I picked it up and we put it around a stick to keep it away from being able to reach our bodies," he said.

How rare is it to find a sea snake on a Dubai beach?

Dinesh Ramachandran, manager of the pest control company Rentokil UAE, said the reptile was probably a Persian Gulf sea snake (Hydrophis lapemoides).

"It is very rare to find one on a beach, especially in Dubai, but you need to be extremely careful around them as they are highly venomous," Mr Ramachandran said.

"Thankfully their mouths are really small so it's unlikely they will be able to do too much damage but, at the same time, it's not a chance you really want to take.

"It's important not to disturb them as they are often shy and won't attack unless provoked.

"If you are unlucky enough to be bitten by one, it is vital you phone for an ambulance straight away to get treated."

Mr Ramachandran said the Persian Gulf sea snake was probably swept ashore by a particularly strong tide.

Persian Gulf sea snakes can be found in the the gulf as well as from the Indian Ocean to the coasts of Thailand.

– Australscope

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