A sea lion bit a nine-year-old girl during a surfing camp at a California beach, KSBW 8 News reported Monday.
Corale Olsen was surfing at Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove, California, with her brother, sister, and their surfing instructor when a sea lion approached the group. Olsen told the outlet the group was “pretty deep in the ocean” when the sea lion attacked and that it first went under the surfing instructor’s leg before attacking her. (RELATED: Two Children Dead, Four Injured After Barge Crashes Into Sailboat, Officials Say)
“It was right next to me, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, something really bad is going to happen,’” Olsen said. “Then, it just bit me. It was pain, and I was screaming. Then it came up to me and then it bit me and I got dragged under water.”
OXNARD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 27: A stranded California sea lion suffering from suspected domoic acid poisoning is rescued by CIMWI (Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute) volunteers on March 27, 2025 in Oxnard, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The Olsen siblings said a lifeguard was on duty, but their surfing instructor, Alex De Marignac, said he managed to carry all three siblings back to shore after the attack.
“I had two kids under each arm and one hanging off my neck, and, yeah, we all made it,” De Marignac said.
Once the siblings were on shore, Corale was taken to the emergency room, the outlet reported.
“I was very worried, honestly,” said Corale’s sister, Skye Olsen. “I was in the room, and I was worried. So I was telling her to calm down.”
De Marignac, who said he has surfed at Asilomar State Beach since he was 6, said he has “never, ever seen something like that” and that he didn’t expect the animal to attack.
“I feel like most kids kind of go after sea lions lightly, and nothing happens,” he said.
The Olsen siblings have grown up swimming, boogie boarding, and surfing in the Asilomar State Beach waters. Although the attack left several puncture wounds and bruises on Corale Olsen’s leg, she said she has no fear getting back on the water.
“If something happens, that doesn’t mean that you can stop doing what you love,” Corale Olsen said.
Sea lion bites are rare, however, there has been an increase of California beachgoers attacked by the animals in 2025. The sea lions’ behavior is a result of domoic acid toxicosis caused by toxic algal bloom, which California waters have reportedly seen an increase in this year.
“I think the rule of thumb is make sure to give animals their space,” De Marignac said. “I think it’s totally fine to be curious, but I’d say never get a better look by getting closer to the animal.”