Venomous sea snake washes up on Orange County beach

A venomous sea snake, uncommon in Southern California, washed up on an Orange County Beach. 

Jackie Aguilar came upon the snake while walking on the beach in Crystal Cove with her family last Friday night. A video shows her family trying to help the snake get back in the water because it looked sluggish. They did not realize it was highly venomous.

"They are all telling me it's like one of the most poisonous ones," she said. "I started researching, and I found out it's the yellow-bellied one."

While officials have not confirmed it, the snake does look like the highly venomous yellow-bellied sea snake to certified marine naturalist Capt. Chad Steffen. 

"They are very venomous, but they are also very clumsy and sluggish out of water," Steffen said. "They are not inclined to bite. They aren't aggressive."

The yellow-bellied snakes are normally found farther south in the Pacific Ocean. The last time it was reported on Orange County beaches was in 2018 along Newport Beach. 

The serpents aren't the only unusual visitors popping up off Southern California's coast. A hammerhead shark swam off Newport Beach. Up north, fishermen are reeling in massive bluefin tuna. Steffen attributed the sightings to the potential El Niño. 

"We're having a very warm water year," he said. "We have seen a lot of very interesting things this year."

As for Aguilar, she said the snake swam back into the water, and now she'll be staying out of it.