“We’re starting to see the behavior here on the dock with the seals a little more aggressive than normally,” said local Erik Kopp after seeing a man hauled off in a stretcher from San Diego’s Mission Bay Channel Sunday afternoon. The man was holding a fish in his hand when a sea lion jumped up and bit the fish and the man’s hand, dragging the man underwater as well.
Lt. John Sandmeyer told CBS 8 News that lifeguards were called down to the dock in response to a report of a man bitten by a sea lion. “A man was holding up a fish. Apparently a sea lion jumped up on the side of a boat, grabbed the fish, and grabbed his hand with it and pulled him into the water,” Sandmeyer told the news outlet.
The, man whose name was not mentioned, was reportedly in the water for 15 to 20 seconds before getting back on the boat. He was transported to the hospital for the puncture wounds to his hand.
Sandmeyer calls incidents like Sunday’s between people and sea lions have been rare, but emphasized the importance of remaining aware and ready for anything.
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