San Diego, California - Sea lions, and especially their babies, are often disturbed and gawked at by curious beachgoers. But on a beach in San Diego, one animal had enough!

Dozens of visitors to La Jolla Cove beach in San Diego had to run for their lives when a large sea lion suddenly charged at them.

The attack was captured by tourist Lauren Bertrand, who later shared the clip on TikTok.

She chose the song Dumb Ways to Die as the background music – a fitting choice, considering a bite from a sea lion can be very dangerous!

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The large marine mammals are not only at home in shallow waters but also on beaches, on rocks, or on harbor docks.

Normally, the animals are not aggressive but rather shy – as long as the females do not have offspring. But that was apparently exactly the case here.

"Visited La Jolla, CA this weekend to see the Sea Lions in their natural habitat and to learn more about these ‘protected’ ecosystems," Lauren wrote in the caption of her video. "the people were peopling and this big guy was NOT having it"

The 35-second video first shows the adult female sea lion and her pup gliding through the water on the busy beach, but then the mood suddenly turns sour!

As swimmers noticed the animal was getting a bit too close for comfort, the sea lioness suddenly shot onto the beach at an unexpectedly swift speed, right in front of two women who jumped up in panic.

The protective mother then charged towards a group of swimmers at full sprint and with a loud roar, stopping only moments before a collision.

Shocked, some people ran out of the water while others plopped backward into the water. Thankfully, no one was injured.

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Authorities repeatedly warn against encounters with sea lions, especially during their pupping season from May to October.

The city of San Diego's website states that this stretch of beach is popular with California sea lions and has subsequently become a popular tourist destination.

"Members of the public have been observed trying to touch, take selfies, and get as close to sea lions as possible, which is a dangerous situation for both the public and the animals," the city warned.