Sea Snakes

General Information and Health & Safety Procedures

General Information:
• Sea snakes are air breathing and can stay underwater for a period of two hours.
• They use coastal shallow water for feeding and mating.
• Sighting of sea snakes is common in shallow coastal water in the UAE during October to March
when water temperature drops below 22 °C. During summer, they move to deeper water.
• All sea snakes are poisonous.
• Handling sea snakes should be with care, as their bite can be fatal.
• Sea snakes do not chase/attack and bite. They may bite for self-defense or when scared.
• A sea snake bite is usually felt, with small but distinct teeth marks visible, which may be multiple,
mostly from non-fang teeth. Pain at the bite site is not a major feature, nor swelling.

Precaution:
• Advise beachgoers to keep away from live stranded sea snakes.
• Do not handle a sea snakes found along the shore, even if it looks dead, as some of them may just
be sluggish.
• Monitor the beach regularly (2-3 times a day) especially during rough sea conditions.

In case of a bite:
• Must act quickly, seek immediate medical attention, and inform health authorities.

Images of commonly seen sea snakes:

Arabian Gulf sea snake Yellow-bellied sea snake Ornate reef sea snake
(Hydrophis lapemoides) (Pelamis platurus) (Hydrophis ornatus)

For emergencies, please contact Abu Dhabi Government call center at 800 555
Classification: Confidential - ‫رسي‬