"I went to South Mission Point Park around 12:30 p.m. I went snorkeling and was able to do it for about 2-3 minutes. At that moment, I was just floating, looking at the fish, when I felt what seemed like a pinch on my leg," said Jessica Linares to NBC San Diego.

 

"Then it really hurt. I looked back, and there was the sea lion. We initially made eye contact, then he swam away, and I swam away too, and I was able to make it to shore," Linares recounted.

 

Linares received medical attention for her wounds. "I went to Kaiser and went to the emergency room, where they took great care of me. They cleaned my wound, numbed it, gave me five stitches, wrapped my leg, and I'm just trying to rest now," she explained.

 

Hours after Linares' incident, another person had a negative encounter with a sea lion, according to San Diego Lifeguards.

 

The Second Attack

 

A man in his 50s was swimming about 50 yards offshore when he was aggressively bitten by a sea lion, according to San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Rick Strobel. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital with multiple bite wounds in different areas of his body, although lifeguards described his injuries as non-life-threatening.

 

Despite the recent attacks, marine biologists describe these incidents as rare. "Negative interactions with human beings are really uncommon. They happen so infrequently that when they do, they make the news, as is the case right now," said UCSD marine biology professor Dovi Kacev.

 

Linares is expected to make a full recovery, and she stated that she will continue to enjoy the beauty that nature has to offer.