We foresee 'NO SNAKES ALLOWED' signs popping up on Hout Bay beach in Cape Town, South Africa after this impressively sized Cape cobra set out for a morning dip in the ocean. 

 

The reptile was spotted by a jogger who – we salute your fortitude! – took the time to snap a few photos instead of hotfooting it out of there. 

 

Of course, it wasn't long before the cobra's little excursion sent Twitter into a panic (you can also catch what the cobra has to say about all of this at @houtbaycobra).   

 

 

Yet according to a snake expert who was duly interviewed on a local radio station, it is still safe to go down to the beach today.

“The only time [the snake] would be dangerous is if you physically tamper with it – 98% of people who are bitten by snakes are bitten because of [that]. Most times, the snakes won’t attack you but will move away from you,” he noted.

As to why the cobra may have wanted a dip in the ocean, he suggests: “They soak themselves in the water when they are about to shed their skin, so their skin gets irritated.”

Top header image: Jon, Flickr