Santa Cruz may lie within Northern California’s “red triangle” of great white shark habitat, but yesterday, a different sea creature intimidated surfers. According to meteorologist and Santa Cruz resident Lee Solomon, sea lions attacked two surfers on the East Side of town.
Solomon interviewed the first victim, identified only as Heather. She said she was on her stand-up paddleboard near Privates Beach at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, September 22, when a sea lion jetted toward her board and bumped her off.
“I thought it was going to jump on my board, but it came under and knocked me off,” Heather said.
The Surfline live feed of the area caught the attack on camera.
She said the mammal started biting her hair, then her hands and feet. Eventually, she was able to get back on the board and paddle to the nearest beach with only minor injuries. She said she went to the hospital for care, but didn’t require any stitches and, out of an abundance of caution, is taking rabies medication.
“It was very traumatic because we get very comfortable with these animals,” Heather said. “This went on for several minutes. It wasn’t one and done.”
According to Solomon, this wasn’t the only attack on Tuesday. Another surfer was allegedly attacked at the Hook, a half-mile west of Privates. That surfer also sought medical care at a hospital, but the severity of the injuries is unknown.
Solomon added that a sea lion, possibly the same one involved in the attacks, was acting aggressively at The Hook.
According to the Marine Mammal Center, there has been an increase in sea lions washing ashore in Monterey Bay with domoic acid poisoning, the result of algae blooms that accumulate in fish that sea lions eat. The acid can cause seizures and heart failure. It could explain the aggressive nature of the sea lions.
“Be a little bit more aware these days as you go out,” Solomon warned.
