Furious sea lion attacks and bites girl, 9, learning to surf off California coast
Corale Olsen was enjoying surf camp at Asilomar State Beach with her siblings when they suddenly spotted the animal in the water.
Within minutes, the ferocious sea lion pounced on Olsen while they swam 'pretty deep in the ocean,' she said.
'The sea lion went under my instructor's leg, and then it came up to me and it bit me. And then I got dragged under water,' Olsen told KSBW.
'It was pain, and I was screaming,' she recalled, adding that her surf instructor immediately stepped in to help.
Her coach, Alex De Marignac, quickly grabbed Corale, her brother and sister and brought them to shore after she was bitten.
'I had two kids under each arm and one hanging off my neck, and yeah, we all made it,' De Marignac told the outlet.
Corale was then taken to the emergency room to assess her injures.
She was left with bruising on her leg and puncture wounds from the sea lion's bites. Olsen was seen standing on one leg as she gripped crutches in the emergency room.
Her siblings, who witnessed the chaos unfold in the water and hospital room, were very concerned for her safety.
'I was very worried, honestly. I was in the room, and I was worried. So, I was telling her to calm down,' her sister, Skye Olsen, said.
Meanwhile, De Marignac said this was the first time in his life he saw a sea lion attack like that.
'I have surfed in these waters since I was about 6 years old. Never, ever seen something like that,' Marignac explained.
He believes the sea lion may have acted that way because it was territorial.
'I think the rule of thumb is make sure to give animals their space. I think it's totally fine to be curious, but I'd say never get a better look by getting closer to the animal,' he continued.
Bruises and bite marks are seen on the girl's leg after the sea animal pounced on
Olsen, who's spent most of her life with her siblings in the water, is eager to get back in despite the scary incident.
'If something happens, that doesn't mean that you can't stop doing what you love,' she stated.
Sea lions are commonly spotted in California, but recently, attacks have been on the rise.
According to marine experts, the animals have a short temper because toxic algae blooms have been poisoning marine mammals recently, Today reported.
The algae makes sea lions become more aggressive, especially when they find themselves in shallow water around humans.
Although authorities typically respond fast to sea lion attacks, the survival rate for the animals is about 50 percent thanks to the surge in algae blooming, per the outlet.
Marine Mammal Care Center CEO John Warner says the sea lion's behavior doesn't stem from anger.
'They're reacting, not so much attacking,' Warner explained.
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