California teen feared she was bitten by shark — but it surely was one thing far rarer: ‘I’ve by no means heard of one thing like this’

A teenage trainee lifeguard thought she was about to be killed by a shark as she accomplished a swim take a look at — solely to search out out she was the sufferer of a uncommon assault by a sea lion.

Phoebe Beltran, 15, was simply 25 ft from the shore in Lengthy Seashore on a 1,000-yard swim for a cadet lifeguard qualification on March 30 when she was all of the sudden pulled underneath the water.

“Out of nowhere, I really feel one thing biting my arm,” she informed KTLA.

“I noticed a shadow of it, and all I’m pondering is, ‘Please, don’t be a shark. Please, don’t take off my arm, and please, don’t kill me,” she recalled.

“The primary chew — I went underneath, and I simply see the shadow, however I couldn’t make out what it was,” she informed NBC California of the March 30 ordeal. “As I got here up, I used to be approach too scared to face it head-on. I’m screaming this manner because it’s biting me over right here and it lastly let go.”

The teenager was not alone in not realizing she was really being bitten by a sea lion — which may develop to 700 kilos — along with her mom, Bibi Beltran, amongst these watching helplessly from the shore.

“I noticed one thing come up, like a fin, and someone yelled, ‘Shark,’” the mother informed KTLA. “All of us rushed to the water and once I realized it was my daughter … that’s once I broke down.”

Whereas sea lions can develop to 6 ft and weigh 700 kilos, they not often assault people.

“In my 25 years of service, I’ve by no means heard of one thing like this occur earlier than,” Gonzalo Medina of the Lengthy Seashore Hearth Division informed NBC Los Angeles.

Nonetheless, sea lions can lash out if feeling threatened. And a few consultants concern the marine mammals have gotten more and more violent from being poisoned by poisonous algae blooms.

“Actually a facet impact of the acid is doubtlessly aggressive habits, however there’s no approach to inform,” Medina stated.

Both approach, the teenager’s mother is relieved.

“It’s only a scary thought. She might’ve been pulled underneath. I assumed the worst,” Bibi Beltran stated.