Occasionally these yellow-bellies get washed up on beaches after storms and pose a hazard to children. Aggressive only during the mating season in the winter, the sea snake is very curious, and they become fascinated by elongated objects such as high pressure hoses. Advice here is to inflate your BC so as to lift away from the bottom and the snake. Persistent myths about sea snakes include the mistaken idea that they can't bite very effectively. It is said that even a small snake can bite a man's thigh.
Sea snakes can swallow a fish that is more than twice the diameter of their neck.
Most sea snake bites occur on trawlers, when the snakes are sometimes hauled in with the catch. There follows progressive CNS symptoms of blurred vision, drowsiness and finally respiratory paralysis.