IT'S the stuff of nightmares: being trapped aboard a small boat kilometres out to sea with a six-foot snake.
Redlands Snake Catcher Tony Morrison recently received a frantic call from couple Theo and Karin, who had found a slithery stowaway underneath a jacket in the cabin of their boat.
The frightened pair sped back to shore to meet Mr Morrison at the Redland Bay marina.
"I get a lot of people who are so scared of snakes, who get a snake in their yard or house and tell me they can't be around it," Mr Morrison said.
"Imagine being trapped on a boat, and hoping that it's not going to come out when you're driving.
"Luckily the snake just settled down and it didn't decide to come out of the cabin and chase the driver around or anything."
Mr Morrison found the large carpet snake tucked comfortably up at the front of the boat and removed him to release back into the bush, much to the relief of Karin and Theo.
"They saw the funny side of it at the end," he said.
"It was the first time in my 25 years that I've had someone call me from a boat."
The strangest catches of Mr Morrison's career also included a snake found in a typewriter and another curled up inside an upright piano.
"A lady was playing the piano and as she went up the scale, it was all muted," he said.
"The snake was inside the upright piano and was wrapped around the strings."
He said snakes were increasingly adapting to urban environments as bushland was cleared.
"The fact that I'm getting snakes at Raby Bay just blows my mind, that there's an ecosystem there of snakes and rats that's thriving."
While snakes often went into hiding in the winter months in colder areas, they were active year-round in the Redlands.
Mr Morrison urged residents who encountered snakes in their homes or yards to send him a photo on Facebook or via text.
"Stay at a safe distance and snap a pic. A lot of the time I can put people at ease - sometimes they'll send me photos and I can tell them it's a legless lizard."
