Californian Man Finds Three-Foot Venomous Rattlesnake In Kayak: ‘Oh Hell No’

While preparing his sea kayak for the spring fishing season, a man in San Diego, California, found a three-foot rattlesnake coiled up in his boat.

Snake catcher Bruce Ireland of RBI Snake Wranglers said the man was beginning to remove the boat’s cover when he heard what sounded like a rattle. The man called Ireland, which hit back the rest of the cover to reveal the rattling reptile.

“[The snake] was relatively calm but probably surprised to see me,” Ireland said news week.

In footage of the incident, posted by Ireland on his TikTok page @sdsnakeadventures2, the snake can be seen squirming and rattling loudly in the midsection of the boat. After pulling back the cover, Ireland picks up the snake with his snake hook and dumps it into his bucket.

“It’s called a red diamond rattlesnake,” Ireland said. “[They are] found only in southern California and northern Baja. Beautiful snakes.”

Red-diamond rattlesnakes are a large, venomous species of pit viper distinguished by their brick-red coloring and diamond-patterned scales. “This one was about 3 feet plus,” Ireland said. “They reach about 5 feet and rarely larger.”

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the snake has a calm temperament and is very reluctant to strike. Its venom is also unusually mild for a rattlesnake. However, because it is so large, its bite can still be dangerous and should be treated immediately.

“Most bites occur when people are messing with them,” Ireland said. “In fact, most bites occur when two chemicals are combined: alcohol and testosterone!”

Ireland said it removes between 300 and 400 snakes each snake season in the San Diego area as part of a free community service. Most of these are rattlesnakes. “We’re migrating all snakes back to nearby wildlife sanctuaries and canyons,” he said.

The kayak snake video has garnered over 800,000 views on TikTok and hundreds of comments from concerned viewers.

“That sound omg makes you want to scream through my phone,” one user commented.

“Oh damn no,” said another.

Ireland said if you ever see a rattlesnake on your property you should always call in an expert to remove it. If you see one in the wild, do your best to avoid them and always keep your wits about you.

“Be vigilant and aware in snake country,” he said. “Alertness buys you time. Time buys you options.”