And the sea resident is far from the only victim of the affliction. When tainted sardines and other critters are consumed by marine mammals, the acid causes them to become aggressive and unpredictable, among other symptoms. For LaMendola, that realization made his encounter tragic as well as terrifying. “Today, I endured the most harrowing and […]
And the sea resident is far from the only victim of the affliction.
When tainted sardines and other critters are consumed by marine mammals, the acid causes them to become aggressive and unpredictable, among other symptoms.
For LaMendola, that realization made his encounter tragic as well as terrifying.
“Today, I endured the most harrowing and traumatic experience of my 20 years of surfing,” photographer and explorer Rj LaMendola captioned the post while recalling the attack.
He added, “I barely dodged that first charge, my breath catching as I spun around, desperate to head for shore.”
Marine life care centers across Southern California are reporting an increase in the number of stranded dolphins and sick seals, which they’ve attributed to the toxic algal scourge.
He thought his fate was seal-ed.
Like the moment after a horror movie’s false climax, the sea lion charged again with its “teeth bared” akin to “some deranged predator,” he said.
The blubbery beast then disappeared back into the drink from whence it came — but that was only the beginning of the beatdown.
LaMendola subsequently drove himself to the emergency room, where he is recovering from the ordeal.
“This time, it slammed into my board with unbelievable force, diving beneath me in a swift, fluid arc that sent a shiver down my spine,” wrote LaMendola, who realized it was no “playful encounter.”
Dubbed Pseudo-nitzschia, this organism can produce a neurotoxin called domoic acid (DA), which can accumulate in “filter-feeding shellfish, finfish and zooplankton,” according to the U.S. National Office for Harmful Algae Blooms.
During one of the four or so confrontations, LaMendola attempted to sock his assailant, only for it to dodge the “clumsy” strike with “eerie agility.” The animal then wheeled around and clamped its jaws around the waterman’s “left butt cheek,” before dragging him off his board and into the drink.
The Ventura resident said he was surfing about 150 yards from the shore at Oxnard State Beach Park when, “out of nowhere,” the mammal “erupted from the water” and hurtled at him full speed like an aquatic “Cujo.”
“Domoic acid can cause animals to act erratically, and they can be dangerous when affected by the neurotoxin,” NOAA spokesperson Michael Milstein told SFGate.com.
It’s not just sharks that surfers have to watch out for these days. A California wave-shredder was “shaken” to his core after being mauled by a sea lion that was purportedly “warped” by toxic algae plaguing the coast, as detailed in a Facebook post making a splash online.
After a grueling interspecies battle, LaMendola finally managed to swim to shore, claiming that the incensed squid-swallower didn’t stop stalking and charging him until his feet “finally scraped the sand.”
Meanwhile, humans who consume seafood contaminated with domoic acid can suffer from amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), which can cause symptoms ranging from gastrointestinal illness to seizures and even death.
When he contacted the Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute to report the attack, researchers replied that they’d seen a surge in incidents across Santa Barbara and Ventura County involving “sea lions and other marine animals affected by Domoic Acid Toxicosis” — a neurological disorder caused by toxic algae.
“I don’t know how to describe the fear that gripped me in that moment,” recalled the survivor. “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, devoid of the curiosity or playfulness I’d always associated with sea lions.”
The victim’s suit was “shredded” where it had bitten him, he shared, exposing a “puncture wound” from which blood trickled down his leg and hit the sand.
“This was something else entirely — something wrong,” said the shaken boarder.
“Its mouth gaped wide, teeth flashing, and its eyes locked onto me with an unsettling ferocity,” recalled the shocked surfer. “My heart lurched as I instinctively yanked my board to the side, paddling frantically to evade it as it barreled forward, intent on crashing into me.”
“The sea lion that attacked me wasn’t just acting out — it was sick, its mind warped by this poison coursing through its system,” he said. “Knowing that doesn’t erase the terror, but it adds a layer of sadness to the fear.”
However, that started a vicious cycle where the possessed critter would repeatedly back off and charge at the helpless surfer, forcing him to shield himself with his board and swim back to shore between attacks.
“There is no known antidote or cure for ASP, and while recovery is possible, some of the effects of domoic acid in humans can be permanent,” the U.S. National Office for Harmful Algae Blooms writes.
