23-yo Harry Evans was 'living his dream' before he tragically died from a snake bite.

The mother of a 23-year-old British man who died after being bitten by a sea snake in Australia has said her son was “living his dream” while working on a fishing boat.

Harry Evans, from Dorset, England, was bitten as he pulled up a net while working off Groote Eylandt, 650 kilometres east of Darwin on Thursday afternoon.

Northern Territory Police said a helicopter crew was scrambled and the trawler made its way to Borroloola, inland from the Gulf of Carpentaria, where Evans was pronounced dead.

His mother, Sharon Evans, told the Press Association her son had been living his dream.

“Harry was not a backpacker, he was working in a job he loved and was living his dream,” she said.

“He had contact with his family and friends at home regularly and couldn’t have been any more loved.

“We couldn’t have been prouder of him.”

Friend George Jackson-Carter posted on Facebook: “RIP Harry Evans, you were one of the most kind hearted and funniest people I’ve ever met. Always made everyone laugh and smile.”

The Marine Education Society of Australia said that all known species of sea snake are venomous and produce some of the most dangerous venoms known in the animal kingdom.

They grow to between 120cm and 150cm but can get as long as three metres, and are considered to be non-aggressive.

They tend to be found in tropical and sub-tropical waters through southeast Asia, the western Pacific and northern Australia.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was supporting Evans’ family and was in contact with Australian authorities.


In November 2013, 20-year-old Ryan Donoghue was electrocuted while using a power tool when a wave washed on deck as the boat returned to Cairns.