Swimming Rattlesnake Terrifies Family In Boat In North Carolina

I have done a fair amount of hiking in rattlesnake areas including my recent hike in the Cleveland National Forest.  However, the video of a rattler swimming toward a family in a boat is still unnerving and surprising.  Wayne Robbins films the aquatic snake in Fontana Lake, North Carolina.

The snake made it to the boat to the obvious distress of the family:

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife warns hikers simply “Rattlesnakes can swim.” Apparently, timber rattlesnakes are adept at surface swimming.

There are videos of swimming rattlers in lakes as well as the ocean . . . just one more worrisome element to swimming in the wild.