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Is this the world's most dangerous beach?

This is the moment a two-metre-long Cape cobra casually takes a dip in the shark-infested water, off Hout Bay Beach, South Africa.

The huge monster reptile - which usually only grows to around 1.5 metres - was spotted near the water near Cape Town by jogger Janice Wagner.

Instead of running as fast as she could in the opposite direction, she paused and took a photo of the animal - which was quickly shared by hundreds via social media.

(Image: Janice Gianna Wagner)

Although it is not unusual for a snake of its kind to go in the water - snake and reptile expert Shaun Macleod said Cape cobras don’t normally grow that big.

He told 567 CapeTalk: “They soak themselves in the water when they are about to shed their skin, so their skin gets irritated.”

Reassuring locals, he said the snake would most probably only attack a human if they were to purposely interfere with it.

Macleod added: “The only time it would be dangerous is if you physically tamper with it, 98% of people who are bitten by snakes are bitten because of self-infliction.

"In most times, the snakes won’t attack you but will move away from you.”

Although the beast slithering int he sand looks convincing,some have dismissed the picture as a Photoshop hoax.

When South African news site eNCA.com phoned Wagner she insisted it was real and added it would be stupid to have made it up.

"It was huge," she added.

Cape Cobras are indigenous to southern Africa; they can be found in the highlands of Lesotho, the dry Karoo bush and near rivers and streams.