Fatal battle between venomous fish, deadly snake caught on camera by Australian fisherman (VIDEO) - @NatGeo

Incredible moment a venomous sea snake and deadly stonefish locked jaws in a fight to the death (there were no winners)

A deadly battle between one of the world’s most venomous fish and a deadly snake was caught on camera.

Australian champion spear fisherman Rick Trippe captured the incredible struggle between the sea snake and a stonefish near Darwin Harbor.

And amazingly Trippe managed to successfully separate the two animals from their deadly embrace with his hands.

"I'm silly but not mad,” he told the BBC.

Rick Trippe snapped the photos of the stalemate between two deadly creatures of the sea, which had a firm hold of each other in a stalemate

“I knew this was dangerous. I knew if I grabbed it I wouldn't get the bitten.”

Trippe said he used his previous experience of handling snakes — having caught and removed many pythons from a chicken coop at his home — to his advantage

“Being an animal lover, I grabbed the snake just behind the head with serious precaution, knowing that sea snakes are highly venomous. I removed the poisonous fish from its mouth and body,” he added.

But his rescue efforts proved pointless as Trippe said the 6-foot long snake instantly swam back toward the dead stonefish as soon they were released back into the water — and devoured his dinner.

It was just the latest in a long line of remarkable encounters by Trippe, who also serves as the Darwin Diving Club president.

The spearfisherman found the two metre sea snake with a stonefish in its mouth in Darwin Harbour

Just two weeks ago, he was part of a rescue team that helped a horse after it fell into the harbor, which is infamously infested by sharks and crocodiles.

Trippe says the operation required a boat, a diver, about “half-a-dozen attempts” and a lot of adrenaline.