Out in Langebaan Lagoon

[Niel]

I took the kids to Langebaan for a swim this morning.......and after 30 min we waded deeper and saw this piece of "sea weed" :wth: well surprise, surprise it turns of to be a very tired Cape Cobra (yellowish color) - Pity I did not have my camera- but this approx 1.2m fellow was headed straight for me and the laaitie and only about 2 meters from us diverted from his seaman’s course. This was next to the main beach in Langebaan. (heading from the harbor side to the National Park)

Needless to say a few new marks appeared where I will rather not mention but the sea water is a good friend and remove all evidence ....

Now, I have seen snakes in rivers ....but never in salt water – I must add the Langebaan water is not that salty.

Fortunately one of the local fisherman and his :shifty: girlfriend :shifty: also saw it as well ......we went looking for it for about 45 min but nada. There is a lot of water

Has anyone els seen this in Langebaan

[OOOOMS]

Wow Niel, I would have sj@t myself :!: :!: :!: Like you.....

Cape-Cobra-(Naja-nivea) (Custom).jpg (15.13 KiB) Viewed 3232 times

[Niel]

Mark, daar was n onwillekeurige keuse van woorde ook. Nee nie soos in die foto nie die een het geswem hehehe

[OOOOMS]

Iets soos, wat het die boesman gesè to hy in die leew vasloop?

Nkka, ..k!

[Mud Dog]

Almost all snakes are good swimmers, but only a few take to the water readily. Could it be that this guy was washed out at one of the nearby rivers?

[Niel]

Andy, nope there is no rivers in the area. This was definately a land snake There is plenty of place for this fella to have came from the "bush" in and around Langebaan.

[Mud Dog]

No Niel, you misunderstand. I don't mean to contradict you and believe you that it was a cape cobra ..... they are mustard yellow in colour more often than not. What I meant was that they will only take to the water with a purpose ... there has to be some form of attraction which is unlikely (not impossible) in a salt water lagoon. Since you say there are no rivers nearby that could have washed it out into the sea or the lagoon, I would wonder what that attraction could have been. Or in the absence of an attraction, how it got to be out there. ..... Any boats on the lagoon at the time?

[Niel]

The Westcoast national parl is situated at the bottom end of the "lagoon". That is why I posted it to find out why a land snake will take to the salt water. There was a few ski boats in the area but nothing in 400m from where I spotted the snake. More in the deeper water and the snake was inthe shallow water approx 20m from the dry land.......this was very weird to me as well

[OOOOMS]

Niel, where about were you? Here is a better map

langebaan-map (Small).jpg (33.62 KiB) Viewed 3202 times

[Mud Dog]

I wonder if it had not made itself at home in one of the boats and then left the boat (or was tossed off after being discovered) some time after launching. They can see ... apparently not that well, but maybe well enough to see (or smell) which way back to land.

[Niel]

Spoke to the rangers at WNP and they say that it does not happen every day but snakes swim to the Island in the Langebaan lagoon and back - they did not say why, only said it happens regularly.

[Mud Dog]

Hmmm, that's interesting! ..... must be some attraction there.

Perhaps there's a sexy resident female on the island!

[pietpetoors]

I would have loved to see your face Niel.
I think there are plenty of food on the island because people may not go there. Apparently it happens quite frequently and mostly in the main beach area which is the shortest distance from the main land to the island.

[Niel]

Ek moes die laaitie uit die water kry as die man dalk sou besluit hy wil kom kennis maak so niemand sou my gesig kon sien nie. Ek sou nie vinnig genoeg kon wegkom van die knapie af nie, hy is baie vinniger as ek in die water

Jy sou onder normale omstandighede in elk geval nie my gesig kon sien nie want daar sou n bruin streep wees hoger as Tafelberg

[dalkill]

ANd i walk thru them bushes alot to get to 'Piet Se Gat'
Now i'm gonna paranoid as anything.

Enough I got to watch out for stingrays in the water, now this as well.

[pietpetoors]

'Piet Se Gat'

Ja joune ook

[GrysMol]

Niel, ek het al baie slange sien swem. Capies nogal geneig om dit baie te doen. Het onlangs gaan visvang by Fisherhaven, toe kom ta so rustig aangeswem na ons toe. Needless to say, die twee ouens wat saam met my gestaan het was gone in a second. Gelukkig het my Toy naby gestaan, toe gryp ek my my slangstok en skep die ou uit die water uit. Hy was te moeg om nog bakkop te maak. Ek meet toe die outjie, sowaar 1.89 meter lank. Sommer gou toe DNA samples gevat en die ou daar in die bos gaan los laat. Die ander ouens het toe natuurlik sommer onmiddelik opgepak en wou net ry.

Soms in die somer loop haal ek baie Capies & puffies uit swembaddens - veral Campsbay en Seepunt.

[Traveler]

Dit is te veel slange vir my op 1 dag dankie. Ek het 1 maal 'n slang uit 'n swembad uitgehelp, dink nie ek doen dit weer nie. Dit was 'n luislang, en ek kon nie glo hoe goed kan hy swem en duik nie, elke keer as ek nader kom duik hy en gaan le in 'n bondel op die bodem.

[Niel]

Kobus, daai is n meneer, enige pis? Dis mos ampoer weer somer. Die Tannie by Tankwa se my hulle het al die eerste puffie in die houtstoor gekry vir die somer. Ek sal nou 2 keer dink om daar voete in die water te sit. Praat met iemand wat n WP visserman is en hy se my hy swem gladnie in Langebaan nie (ok dryf ook nie) want as jy weet wat alles in daai lekker "warm water" rond swem sal jy gat skoon maak en hy se dis in die vlak water nie in die dieper kanaal nie. Veral aan die onderkant van die Lagoon.

Kobus, sms my jou cell nommer asb

Pieter weet jy of die ouens al n paar lagoon harders gekry het die afgelope tyd?

[Johannes van die See]

Lol, die is nogal n storie, ek kan nie eers se hoeveel tyd ek al bestee het in daai lagoon om vis te vang nie, ek is gedurig opsoek na daai monster haaie ook, maar niks, en het nog nooit n slang daar raak geloop nie, so die gebeurtenis is iets besonders en ek dink nie dit moet enige persoon afskruk om die lagoon te geniet nie.
Moet asb net nie in die water skyt as julle weer n slang sien nie, ek eet daai vis wat daar uitkom. lol

[GrysMol]

Niel, hier is a paar close-up foties.

[Niel]

Kobus, ek wil net amptelik vir jou se jy het n paar moeviese skroewe los :wth:

Jy sal my nie naby gekry het nie so n 100 m ver weg ja. Lekker om weer the chat vandag Sien Saterdag.