[Jima64]

Originally Posted by bagboy

I worked at a country club in SC for more than a decade. Our course was built in a wetland area and we had just about every critter imaginable to include water moccasins, copperheads, rattle snakes, and a variety of non venomous snakes. For the most part, you'll be able to tell a water moccasin from a black racer by its thickness. Water moccasins have a thicker body including the head. Black racers tend to have longer, skinnier bodies. Those of us who worked there knew to stay out of the brush, stay out of the woods, and never ever put your hand into any body of water for any reason. Pretty good advice for here, too.

Also tell moccasin by the arrow or triangular shape of the head.

[57ChevyFI]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

If it had orange stripes it could have been either a water moccasin or a Florida water snake. The moccasin is poisonous and the water snake is harmless. They are very difficult to tell apart.

When swimming if the entire body is on top of the water it's a water moccasin. If the body is under the water and only the head is going through the water it's a non venomous water snake.