Just when you least expect it, a sea lion decides to join the party.
Well, not typically. But that’s what happened recently. Per a viral video from Monterey Bay, California, which captured one of the stranger wildlife encounters in recent memory when a sea lion launched itself directly into a racing outrigger canoe during the annual Monterey Hoe Wa’a race over Memorial Day weekend.
The incident happened as the women’s crew from Outrigger Santa Cruz was paddling at full speed near Del Monte Beach. Surrounded by dolphins and sea lions throughout the race, the team had little warning before the marine mammal suddenly surfaced and landed aboard the canoe. The entire moment was caught on a 360-degree camera.
“I just screamed my head off,” paddler Channing Baker later told KTVU. “At first I thought it was a shark.”
Fortunately, neither the crew nor the sea lion was injured. The unexpected passenger remained onboard for only a few seconds before slipping back into the water. Despite the chaos, Outrigger Santa Cruz managed to stay upright and finish third in the race.
“During the race, they were startled by a sea lion that apparently wanted to be part of the team,” videographer Alan Luckow joked. “Unfortunately there are only six spots in an outrigger canoe.”
While the encounter appeared playful, sea lions deserve respect.
Related: Vicious Sea Lions Chase Surfers from Water in New Zealand: ‘Locals Only!’ (Video)
California sea lions are generally not considered dangerous to humans, but they are large, powerful predators capable of inflicting serious bites. Adult males can weigh more than 800 pounds, and wildlife officials routinely advise people to keep their distance, especially during breeding season or when animals are stressed. Although attacks are uncommon, surfers, swimmers, and divers have occasionally been bitten after approaching sea lions too closely or inadvertently startling them.
Monterey Bay, meanwhile, remains one of the most wildlife-rich stretches of coastline in North America. Dolphins, whales, sea otters, harbor seals, and sea lions are all common sights.
For the Outrigger Santa Cruz crew, however, one sea lion sighting stood out above the rest.
As viral ocean encounters go, it’s hard to top getting boarded by a sea lion mid-race and still making the podium.
Related: Chinese Tourists Booted for Harassing Sea Lions in San Diego (Video)
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