Gigantic bull sea lion tries to bite swimmer in Galapagos Islands

Sea lions are one of the incredible animals that inhabit almost all beaches and rocky coasts in the Galapagos Islands. They are adorable and playful animals that delight tourists and residents alike. But sea lions are also wild animals and these tourists who were swimming in the water were reminded of the fact that they are unpredictable animals and that keeping a respectful distance is always wise.

These two were snorkelling in a quiet bay during a tour that involved sight seeing around Santa Fe Island. The boat stopped in a beautiful bay and the tourists were invited to slip into the water to see the fish and the sea lions that were known for their playfulness. As the current gently took the swimmers around the bay, the female sea lions darted around them and chases each other in fun.

The bull male sea lions are not known for their playfulness. They are over 2.5m (8.2 feet) long and can weigh as much as 250kg (550lb). They bark constantly, reminding other sea lions to stay away from the colony of females and babies. This reminder is well heeded by people too. On this occasion, the bull cruised around calmly and watched the humans from a distance. Being careful not to venture close to the area where the colony was basking, the tourists were enjoying the view and drifting slowly past.

As the females became more playful, one of the swimmers began to engage in the fun by diving down and rolling in a playful manner. Sea lions are known to respond to this by swimming closer and rolling themselves. But the male sea lion took a sudden dislike to the tourists and he came rushing out from the rocks, directly at the swimmer in this video. With just a few flaps of his powerful flippers, the bull swam directly beneath the startled swimmer and opened his mouth wide to display a large mouth full of huge teeth. The head of a male sea lion is easily the size of the biggest giant breed of dog and the formidable jaws are equally impressive.

The sea lion seemed to make a half serious attempt to bite the swimmer who was lucky enough to roll in just the right way as she floated upwards and away from the jaws of the sea lion. This behaviour was instantly recognizable as a warning that the sea lion was not in the mood for playing. As the two swimmers began swimming against the current to distance themselves from the shore and the basking colony, the male made a few more passes, closely inspecting them.

This video shows the swimmer with the camera recording as he backs away. When the male sea lion swam at him, it intentionally bumped him. The camera comes in contact with the animal in an effort to keep some distance and an an object in between them.

Sea lions are clumsy on land, but incredibly agile in the water. The only hope here was to remain calm and slowly swim away. Showing any signs of panic would have agitated the huge beast even more. Luckily, this sea lion was not determined to attack. It was simply sending an unmistakable warning for the tourists that they were not welcome.