A sea lion pokes his head out of the water as he swims past the Indianloa Pier on Friday, March 10, 2023. Standalone Indianola Pier Sealion
Ventura County, California – A California surfer had a terrifying brush with nature last week when a sea lion, likely sick from a spreading neurotoxin, attacked him in the waters off Oxnard State Beach.
Ventura County local Rj LaMendola was out on the waves Friday when the animal lunged at him, baring its teeth and charging with “unsettling ferocity,” he wrote in a social media post.
“This was something else entirely — something wrong,” LaMendola recalled.
The encounter quickly turned violent. LaMendola said he used his surfboard as a shield while desperately trying to paddle to shore, but the sea lion wasn’t backing down. When he threw a punch, the animal dodged with eerie precision before sinking its teeth into his left buttock and dragging him off his board.
“I don’t know how to describe the fear that gripped me in that moment,” he wrote. “So far from shore, so helpless, staring into the face of this creature that looked like nothing I’d ever seen — its expression was feral, almost demonic.”
LaMendola eventually broke free and managed to paddle back, the sea lion trailing behind him until he reached the sand. Shaken and bleeding, he drove himself to the emergency room.
The attack wasn’t just a freak encounter—it was likely caused by a growing ecological crisis. After reporting the incident, LaMendola learned that scientists are tracking a surge of toxic algal blooms along California’s coast.
Marine researchers believe the sea lion was poisoned by domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by the rapidly spreading algae Pseudo-nitzschia. The toxin accumulates in small fish like sardines, which are then eaten by larger marine animals—including sea lions and dolphins—causing severe neurological symptoms.
“These animals act erratically and can be dangerous when affected by the neurotoxin,” said Michael Milstein of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The first signs of domoic acid poisoning appeared in February near Malibu, and since then, cases have been reported from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. Stranding teams are overwhelmed, with nearly 100 dolphins already affected. Sea lions and even pelicans have also been showing signs of illness.
LaMendola is grateful he escaped with only a bite wound. But he can’t shake the memory of the attack—or the realization that the sea lion was suffering.
“It wasn’t just acting out—it was sick, its mind warped by this poison coursing through its system,” he wrote. “Knowing that doesn’t erase the terror, but it adds a layer of sadness to the fear.”
Authorities are urging beachgoers to stay away from marine animals acting strangely and to report any stranded wildlife to NOAA’s West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
