VIDEO: What's scarier than a shark? How about a GIANT COBRA on the beach!

A South African man had the shock of his life while strolling along a Cape Town beach, when he encountered a deadly snake.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Jeffery Rinks, a Cape Town local, photographed the deadly Cape cobra in the shallows of Hout Bay, as it was making its way to the water from the sand.

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The snake, which was nearly six feet long, has become incredibly popular, with photos popping up all over social networking sites.

Shaun Macleod, a snake and reptile expert, was interviewed on a South African radio station, and discussed the snake and the pictures.

"That's fantastic," he said. "That's a beautiful size, they seldom get to that size."

Macleod explained that snakes will soak in water if available when they are about to shed their skin, and it probably ended up in the water because the photographer was blocking its escape route.

"So the snake was trying everything it could to move away from the photographer and ended up in the water, it's a fantastic shot. It looks like the (snake's) having a surf, (it's) fantastic."

Hout Bay is known for its shark-infested waters, which attract tourists every year for boat tours to see them and the abundance of marine life, though an ocean growing Cobra is rather unexpected.

Rinks was also interviewed by the CapeTalk radio station, and he said that he and a friend managed to herd the snake away from the ocean under a log until a reptile expert arrived to capture it.

"I immediately made sure people kept away from it, put the dog on a leash, and my priority then was to ensure the safety of the snake and the people and dogs that were out," he said.

"I was joined by a woman who quite confidently suggested we try and herd the snake away from the water. Between the two of us we threw sand at the snake. Eventually the snake came up to a log and I stayed with (it) for about an hour."

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