Research shows why divers shouldn’t get in the way of Olive sea snakes

Scuba divers should stay calm when approached by sea snakes during the mating season — for obvious reasons.

Olive sea snakes charge divers more often during mating season. Picture: Scott Radford-Chisholm

Olive sea snakes who attack divers might want to make love, not war according to new research co-authored by James Cook University’s Ross Alford.

Dr Alford said it had always been unclear why when sea snakes chase and bite scuba divers. The new paper in the journal Scientific Reports analysed data collected between 1994 and 1995, describing Olive sea snake behaviour during encounters with lead author and CSIRO senior research scientist, Tim Lynch, when he was diving on the Great Barrier Reef.

It found that the sea snakes approached Dr Lynch more frequently during the mating season which is between May and August.

“Males were more likely than females to approach the diver, especially during the mating season, and flicked their tongues near the diver’s body,” Dr Alford said. “Thirteen encounters involved sea snakes rapidly charging at the diver.”

All charges occurred during the mating season and in the case of males, immediately after either a failed pursuit of a female or a stoush with a rival male.

“Three males were also observed coiling around the diver’s fin, a behaviour usually observed during courtship. Charges by females occurred after they were chased by males or lost sight of, and then re-approached, the diver.”

The theory is that males mistake divers for a rival or a potential mate and females see them as a place to hide.

“By staying still and allowing a sea snake to investigate them with its tongue, a diver is unlikely to escalate the encounter and be bitten.”