A deadly cobra was seen swimming along a beach - sparking panic among terrified tourists.

Footage shows holidaymakers gathered around as a lifeguard bravely the highly venomous serpent at the Kata Beach in Phuket, Thailand, on December 3.

Local media reported that the snake was spotted swimming in the sea among the tourists. They then fled from the water and watched as the serpent moved along the hot sand.

The reptile was successfully caught with the help of other visitors and was turned over to authorities, who released it into the wild.

No one was reportedly harmed during the incident.

Researchers found that 7,000 people are treated for snake bites each year in Thailand. Suchai Suteparuk from the Division of Toxicology at Chulalongkorn University reported that 30 of those die, with cobras being the biggest killer.

Last month, a German tourist was attacked by a shark on the nearby Khao Lak beach in Phang Nga. She was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery on her leg wounds.