Heather Gray says a sea lion knocked her from her paddleboard and repeatedly bit her in Monterey Bay off Santa Cruz on Sept. 22. She was treated for injuries. Another aggressive encounter was reported that morning, but whether it involved the same animal is unclear.
The Marine Mammal Center said such attacks are highly unusual; because the sea lion was not captured or examined, experts could not determine what triggered it. Gray told the San Francisco Chronicle the animal grabbed her hair and bit her hand, forearm and upper arm, puncturing her wetsuit and skin. After several minutes, she got back on her board and paddled toward shore. She received antibiotics and a tetanus shot at urgent care, then later got rabies shots as a precaution.
Earlier in the summer, the Marine Mammal Center saw flare-ups of sea lions and fur seals stranding with signs of domoic acid poisoning, recently concentrated on the Monterey Peninsula. The toxin, produced by harmful algal blooms, accumulates in small fish eaten by sea lions and can cause seizures and heart failure if untreated. Officials urge people to give marine mammals space and calmly swim away.
