Crystal Cove State Beach has already had one bizarre snake encounter this summer.
Now it has another.
Video captured at the Orange County, CA beach on Sunday evening by beachgoer Cristiano Salgueiro shows a rattlesnake crawling across the sand near the waterline, occasionally slipping into the surf before returning to shore. Watch below.
Salgueiro encountered the snake around sunset and described it as getting in and out of the water almost as if it were playing in the waves. He shared the footage as a warning for beachgoers to watch where they step.
And remarkably, this isn’t the first rattler to show up there recently.
Last month, comedian Nicky Paris was standing in the water at Crystal Cove when he “felt something tickle his big toe.” Moments later, he watched a large rattlesnake emerge from the ocean, crawl across the beach and slither directly between his sandals.
“It crawled right out of the water,” Paris said. “I literally was watching it.”
State park officials noted that it is currently snake season and said rattlesnakes generally do not bite unless threatened. California wildlife officials specifically warn beachgoers not to grab objects that resemble sticks in the water because — apparently — “rattlesnakes can swim.”
Related: Highly Venomous Sea Snake Found on Orange County Beach (Video)
Who knew?
The rattlesnake itself isn’t an El Niño import — the species is native to Southern California — but its appearance comes during an unusually strange stretch for wildlife along the coast.
Warm El Niño-influenced waters have already brought a lineup of tropical and subtropical visitors north: hammerhead sharks, a whale shark, sicklefin devil rays, mahi-mahi, and a rare yellow-bellied sea snake, which washed ashore at Crystal Cove earlier this month.
Marine naturalist Capt. Chad Steffen summed up the weirdness after that sea-snake discovery.
“We’re having a very warm water year,” he said. “We have seen a lot of very interesting things this year.”
Apparently, Crystal Cove’s wildlife checklist now extends from tropical sea snakes to rattlers in the shorebreak.
So maybe add one more rule to the usual beach advice:
Watch the waves.
And watch your feet.
Related: Huge Rattlesnake Makes Unusual Appearance at Orange County Beach (Video)
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