Aggressive sea lion attacks 15-year-old girl in Southern California waters
- A 15-year-old girl named Phoebe Beltran was attacked by a sea lion while swimming for her junior lifeguard tryout in Long Beach, California, on Sunday.
- Phoebe sustained several cuts from the bite and was hospitalized but has since returned to school, stating that the attack left her shaken.
- Her mother, Bibiana Beltran, heard Phoebe yelling for help, and lifeguards quickly assisted her to shore after the incident.
- Experts indicated that recent toxic algae blooms have made sea lions sick and potentially aggressive, although the specific condition of the attacking sea lion remains unclear.
60 Articles
60 Articles

Family recounts sea lion attack in Long Beach linked to toxic algae poisoning
“She’s got this. She’s a swimmer in water polo, this is a walk in the park for her,” Bibi Beltran, 52, told her husband Sunday afternoon on March 30, as the pair watched their 15-year-old daughter Phoebe swim a 1,000-yard lap at a junior lifeguard cadet tryout in Long Beach. Her comment was cut short by two loud, excruciating screams coming from the water near the area of Ocean Boulevard and Cherry Avenue, in front of the Long Beach Lifeguards H…
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