Pair of Swimmers Injured in Sea Lion Attack in Mission Beach
Two beachgoers were injured in two separate sea lion attacks in the Mission Beach area of San Diego over the weekend.
A woman was bitten by a sea lion around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. She reportedly “felt a pinch” on her leg while snorkeling in Mission Beach. Initially confused, she made eye contact with the sea lion, which swam away, allowing her to return to shore.
The woman received care for her wounds at a local hospital. However, just hours later, another sea lion attack was tracked in Mission Beach, according to NBC 7 San Diego.
A man in his 50s was attacked just south of the main lifeguard station at Mission Beach around 6:45 p.m. Local lifeguard officials say that he was “aggressively bitten” by a sea lion. Lifeguards managed to pull him out of the water and rush him to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for multiple bite wounds.
Despite some apparent close calls with San Diego beachgoers, sea lion attacks are relatively rare. A marine biology professor at UCSD said that these types of attacks make the news when they do occur because “they happen so infrequently.”
Although sea lion attacks are rare, experts say it’s best to give the marine mammals plenty of space when enjoying the beach. Aggressive behavior is rare, but sea lions are big and heavy animals, and bites are not unheard of.
Close encounters between sea lions and humans — as well as apparent human harassment of sea lion pups — has led to some advocating for the city to remove sea lions from popular tourist beaches like La Jolla Cove.
Both of the swimmers were expected to make a full recovery from the sea lion attacks in Mission Beach.
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Mike Peterson is a writer, editor, and strategist based in San Diego. When he’s not writing and editing the La Jolla news, you can often find him practicing yoga, rock climbing, or exploring the outdoors with his wife and dog.
