Officials: Sea lion pulls man into San Diego bay

A man posing for a picture with a trophy fish Sunday saw the tables turn when a hungry sea lion tried to make a meal out of him.

Suddenly, the hunter became the hunted.

The 62-year-old man was holding a fish he caught in a San Diego baywhen a sea lion lunged over the railing of the boat and pulled him overboard, officials said.

The 300-pound sea lion tried to grab the fish but instead caught the man's arm, pulling him down into 20 feet of water in Mission Bay, FOX 5 reported.

"We estimated that he was in the water for 15 to 20 seconds. At that point, the sea lion let go and he was able to jump back into his boat," San Diego lifeguard Lt. John Sandmeyer told FOX 5.

The man had bites on his hands and feet and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, according to the San Diego Fire and Rescue Department, the Los Angeles Times reported.

While sea lions don't typically bite people, an Alaskan man was bitten on his rear while sitting on a boat railing in January.

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