âI could see this strange object I didnât recognise. It was about 30cm from my feet, flicking its tongue out,â Thatcher told Guardian Australia. He said he uttered an expletive or two during his ordeal on Thursday but declined to repeat the phrase he used to describe the snake. âI didnât like the bugger â thatâs all Iâll say,â he said on Monday. After realising that getting out of the boat wouldnât help âbecause it would still have been in thereâ, Thatcher started to head back to shore. At one point, he threw a jumper at the snake, to stop it slithering across the boat.