A spearfisherman has has caught on camera a killer sea snake and equally deadly stonefish locked in a battle to the death.
Australian spearfishing champion Rick Trippe discovered the pair locked in a deadly embrace and tried to intervene, releasing the fish and snake from their stalemate.
However, his efforts were fruitless as the fierce enemies re-engaged in their death lock the moment they were released back into Darwin’s harbour.
‘With curiosity we motored over to find this massive thick sea snake close to two metres long, with a poisonous fish in its mouth,’ Mr Trippe told Daily Mail Australia.
‘The fish had a great hold on the sea snake and both looked very sad. I’m not too sure I’ve ever seen a snake looking sad before.’
As a seasoned seaman, Mr Trippe was confident he could safely intervene.
‘Being an animal lover, I grabbed the snake just behind the head with serious precaution, knowing that sea snakes are highly venomous. I removed the poisonous fish from its mouth and body.’
‘I then released the now happy snake away from its feed. It was amazing how it sprang back to life and looked so happy the moment I put it back into the ocean.’
‘But moments later, I saw the snake swim around making a beeline for the fish for a second attempt.’
Mr Trippe believes both the fish and snake would have eventually died after poisoning each other in the struggle.
It was the latest of a series of incredible spectacles Mr Trippe has encountered.
In April this year he made headlines over video footage of himself patting a ‘friendly’ wild tiger shark with repeatedly swam by to say hello while the real estate agent was diving on the Bass Coast.
Although tiger sharks are considered dangerous for humans, Mr Trippe says it was ‘like a puppy dog’ with absolutely no sign of aggression.
Just two weeks ago, the Darwin Diving Club president was part of a rescue team which helped to fish a horse out after it fell into the harbour – which is famously infested by both sharks and crocodiles.
Mr Trippe says the operation took a boat, a diver, about ‘half a dozen attempts’ and a lot of adrenaline.
In January, the animal lover found a 60kg groper washed up on the sand in front of his Fannie Bay home, which he thought was ‘a shame because they are beautiful creatures.’
(dailymail.co.uk)
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