A spearfisherman caught on camera two deadly sea creatures locked in a battle for their life. 

Rick Trippe, an Australian spearfishing champion, spotted the violent skirmish while diving on a World War Two wreck in Darwin Harbour.

“With curiosity we motored over to find this massive thick sea snake close to two meters [6.6 feet] long, with a poisonous fish in its mouth,” Trippe told Daily Mail Australia. “The fish had a great hold on the sea snake [too].”

On one side of the battle was a stonefish: One of the most venomous sea creatures in the world, each of its needle-sharp spines harbor potent neurotoxins.

^{Image Credit: Rick Trippe}

On the other side was a sea snake: a venomous serpent with a powerful bite and oar-like tail.

^{Image Credit: Rick Trippe}

Locked in a stalemate, Trippe decided to take matters into his own hands and pulled the two sea creatures apart – a risky endeavor considering the highly venomous bite of the snake and the toxic spines of the stonefish.

^{Image Credit: Rick Trippe}

Unfortunately, the battle didn’t end there: “The snake made a beeline back to the fish," he told the BBC.

So who won the battle of the bites? This time, the sea snake came out on top.