A snorkeler swam inches away from a deadly sea snake in the Philippines.

Anthony Mark Laurinaria was exploring below the surface with wife when a sea krait glided past without him noticing.

Footage shows the husband wearing a snorkelling mask and paddling fins as he moves towards the venomous marine creature.

His wife Phabie tried to warn him, but they were underwater, so he could not see her pointing to the snake.

Anthony Mark was seen moving his head around to discover what Phabie meant, but he and the sea krait drifted close to each other as the holidaymaker remained clueless.

Phabie said: 'He thought I was saying shark, so he tried looking for it but could not see the snake near him. I also did not want to make him panic as it could scare the sea krait.'

The freediver wife added she was relieved that the sea krait ignored her husband during the incident in Occidental Mindoro on November 26.

She said: 'It could have easily killed my husband. We were so relieved that it did not think of him as a threat nor attacked.'

Sea kraits are generally shy and will try to escape rather than confront humans. However, their venom is extremely toxic and can cause paralysis, organ failure, or death if untreated. It is designed to immobilise prey quickly, such as fish and eels.