Enjoy Your Fourth Of July At The Beach, But Look Out For Sea Lions

If you decide to brave the crowds and head to the beach this July 4, please avoid approaching and touching any sea lions you see, even if they’re bobbing around looking confused, lethargic, or like they need help.

Both dead and sick California sea lions have been washing up on beaches from Santa Barbara to Orange County over the past few weeks, likely due to domoic acid toxicosis. The poisoning occurs as a result of algal blooms off the coast. All the sick animals have left care centers overwhelmed.

Besides lethargy, the poison can also make the animals more aggressive, as the toxin damages their brains.

Attacked by a sea lion

Concerningly, there have been a few reported attacks of people who haven’t approached sea lions directly.

On June 23, swimmer Angela Lee says she was a few hundred yards from shore training with a group of friends near Santa Monica when she was attacked by what she believes was a female sea lion.

“I’ve had plenty of encounters with them while swimming and they’ll come along and swim along with us for a little bit,” said Lee, who’s on the board of directors of the nonprofit One With The Ocean. “This one was definitely invading my space.”

She said that at first the sea lion harassed one of her friends, and then swam beneath Lee, looking directly at her with bulging eyes, as thoughts of the sick sea lions raced through her head.

The sea lion then head-butted Lee, causing her to flail, then latched onto her arm and started twisting. She kicked it until it let go.

Her friends helped her swim back to shore, and by the time she got there the puncture wounds started to bleed heavily. Her injuries were wrapped, and she was given a tetanus shot and antibiotics to help prevent infection.

Just a few days later, though she’s still processing what happened, Lee’s back to training in the ocean.

She said she decided to return to the same spot she was attacked to show herself that it was just a freak incident and that everything’s going to be all right. It’s an important mindset for her, given that she’s got a marathon swim from Anacapa Island to Oxnard in the coming weeks.

“Swimming in the ocean is my favorite thing to do, like, ever," said Lee. "I’m almost 60. It took me a long time to find something I really really love. So I don’t want something that’s out of the ordinary to keep me out of the ocean."

Other reports

Last week, there were two reports of injuries potentially caused by sea lions in the waters off Orange County, according to the OC Parks Department. One involved a minor, who told lifeguards that he was bitten either by a seal or a sea lion while in the water. He was advised to go to urgent care.

In response to aggressive behavior being exhibited by one sea lion, the waters off Strand Beach were shut down for about a day and signs to warn visitors were put up.

“We don't have specific numbers on sea lion bites as it is not something we regularly track, but certainly anecdotally we have heard about more cases this year than in past years,” said Michael Milstein, public affairs officer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

If you see a sea lion that needs help, avoid approaching them and contact your local marine mammal care center.

“Whether they are normal or not, [the public] should give these animals a wide berth because they can be calm and you feel like you want to approach them, but they’re still wild and can inflict a serious bite wound,” said veterinarian Lauren Palmer, hospital director at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro.