The Gold Coast is home to surfing dogs and a surfing duck — now Shiva the surfing snake is turning heads in the waves.
Surfer Higor Fiuza and his pet python have captured the internet’s imagination after footage of the pair gliding through Rainbow Bay was shared online.
But this is not the reptile’s first attempt.
The three-year-old bredli carpet python has surfed at least 10 times, and her owner said Shiva was a natural.
“She is such an amazing snake,” Mr Fiuza said.
“I always took her to the beach and she loved to be in the water swimming, so one day I decided to take her out for a surf and she loved it.
“Usually when she doesn’t like something she starts hissing but she doesn’t hiss [in the water], she is always chill.”
Shiva loves a dip in the ocean, particularly when it’s hot, and Mr Fiuza said her grip was so strong that he was not scared of losing her if they took a tumble.
“She is big now and she holds my neck really tight,” he said.
“She knows how to swim. She goes under the water and comes back to me.”
Local animal surfers
At the southern Gold Coast’s famous breaks it’s not uncommon to share a wave with world champions, but an odd assortment of animals have become local celebrities for their surfing exploits.
The aptly named Duck the surfing duck is a regular and made international headlines for his penchant for pinching waves off Steph Gilmore.
Pork Chops the British bulldog gained a cult following and an Instagram page run by his owner, surf instructor Sam Rollinson, amassed more than 160,000 followers before the pooch passed away in 2021.
Mr Fiuza has had Shiva since she was two months old and the size of his finger.
When she’s not in the ocean, she spends her time cruising around his apartment or lazing on the couch.
Mr Fiuza has surfed his entire life and always owned “crazy” pets, such as eagles, but none have attracted as much attention as his surfing snake.
“[Some] people get really scared but others think it’s amazing when they see the connection between me and her,” he said.
“I think I can get a barrel behind the rock [at Snapper Rocks] with her one day.”
