PENSACOLA, Fla. — Florida beachgoers were stunned when they watched a rattlesnake appear in the surf and struggle onto the sand.

Rhonda Saunders was at the beach with her daughters Tuesday when she and others watched the snake struggling to keep its head above the water. Saunders said a crowd gathered to watch as the snake fought its way to shore, appearing very weak. She said they felt sorry for it, but she had no intentions of helping it.

Witnesses said it was a diamondback rattlesnake. Wildlife officials have not confirmed what type of snake it was.

The Pensacola News Journal reports that animal control arrived and used a net to help the snake from the water into a carrier. The snake didn’t fight back.