this is a sight of a second sea lion attack. one that sent a man to the hospital. he is said to be in fair condition. you can tell from these dangerous signs that have been posted along the beach. the danger signs kept most swimmers out of the water but we did see a few sneak in a few laps. >> they won't keep me out of the water. >> they want you to take the water seriously -- take warning seriously. two people were attacked by a sea lion within 24 hours. the latest happened at 8:00 this morning when the aquatic park was filled with swimmers. >> we see seals and sea lions all the time and it is pretty unusual to be bitten. >> a man was bit in the groin area. we knew billingsley was on board when he heard the man's distress call. >> i heard the screams from the entrance to the harbor. and i looked over there and the guy was screaming, screaming. >> that's when nearby swimmers went to the man's aid. an attack also happened near the entrance. the bites deep enough, both men were sent to the hospital. >> both bites were fairly serio

. >> reporter: christian einfeldt told me the sea lion that attacked him was absolutely massive. and he was powerless. tonight he told me he is so grateful to all of the first responders who helped him. and he hopes to head home from the hospital tomorrow. christian einfeldt spoke to us from his hospital room tonight. >> i'm in almost no pain. >> reporter: he thinks the sea lion trailed him as he swam to the mouth of aquatic park. >> i did feel threatened. i did have warning but there was not -- i was a quarter mile from shore, so there was nothing i could do. >> reporter: the sea lion bit his upper right arm. it started bleeding profusely. >> i was relatively calm because i wasn't dead. >> reporter: he flagged down a nearby sail boat that raced him to shore. >> the boat saved his life. if it hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened. >> reporter: this doctor says because sea lion attacks are so

from fisherman's wharf and pier 39 where the iconic sea lions live. >> this is a sight of a second sea lion attack. one that sent a man to the hospital. he is said to be in fair condition. you can tell from these dangerous signs that have been posted along the beach. the danger signs kept most swimmers out of the water but we did see a few sneak in a few laps. >> they won't keep me out of the water. >> they want you to take the water seriously -- take warning seriously. two people were attacked by a sea lion within 24 hours. the latest happened at 8:00 this morning when the aquatic park was filled with swimmers. >> we see seals and sea lions all the time and it is pretty unusual to be bitten. >> a man was bit in the groin area. we knew billingsley was on board when he heard the man's distress call. >> i heard the screams from the entrance to the harbor. and i looked over there and the guy was screaming, screaming. >> that's when nearby swimmers went to the man's aid. an attack also happened near the entrance. the bites deep enough, both men were sent to the hospital. >> both bites were

the sea lion it into his arm. the man was fortunate a sailboat was nearby.>> reporter:>> they look like big dog bites.>> reporter: swimmers heard what happened but returned to the water anyway. a daily ritual for many. as for sea lions.>> you want to stay away from them.>> reporter: sea lions are territorial. sometimes aggressive. one was sharing space with a swimmer thursday afternoon.>> this could've been a different story.>> reporter: the 56-year- old man swimming outside the mouth of aquatic cove on the sea lion charged him and he tried to fended off.>> he said he splashed water at it. when it didn't work he yelled at it. the sea lion bit him on the arm.>> reporter: the sailboat was moldering by. the skipper took the injured man from the water and radioed for help.>> he was holding direct pressure himself while the captain was driving the boat.>> reporter: a deep wound to his upper arm there required a few tourniquets and pressure bandages. the man remained conscious and calm.>> he was talking the whole time.

after a second swimmer was attacked by a sea lion. only on five, we spoke with the man who explained how he narrowly escaped death. >> last thursday, warnings were posted at the aquatic park after a swimmer was bitten by a sea lion outside the cold.>> reporter: the next day, rick decided to be safe and restrict his swim to inside the brick wall. >> i was swimming along, whatever it was, everyone is thinking it is a sea lion. i never saw him, he came up from underneath me and hit me. >> reporter: the animal clamped his teeth down onto his groin area and when it let go, he had to hold pressure on the wound as he back stroked with one arm the thousand yards back to his swim club. his friend and fellow swimmer helped him onto the beach. >> there was no blood whatsoever but i could see there were deep wounds.>> reporter: he was rushed to the hospital and given treatment to prevent rabies. he is shaken, knowing if the bite had his femoral artery it could've killed him. and while sea lions are occasionally seen in these parts, swimmers are a

.>> i turned around and i saw a large male pool sea lion -- bull. is close to me as the camera is and that you are right now. i became very concerned.>> reporter: he kept shouting no to the sea lion that it came at him.>> his head slid down my arm because he was still coming forward. fortunately he only got one tooth into my arm. but mac he never saw the sea lion again. belly bleeding he was rescued by a sailboat. the bite ripped a hole in his skin exposing muscle. he will recover. specialist are not sure if the same sea lion was responsible for today's attack.>> it is hard to speculate why this happened. anytime you're interacting with a wild animal there is a possibility of getting bit. but mac one possibility could be an algae caused neurotoxin in the water.>> you can go to the brain and it causes brain damage that can change the behavior of the sea lion >>>> reporter: he should be able to get back in the water some. what happened will keep him from swimming near aquatic park again.>> swimming is wonderful. i am going to swim in shallow water. bu

yesterday a 56-year-old man was bitten by a sea lion. after that attack, he was able to flag down a boat and get help. one swimmer i talked with said she's not surprised about the attack given the number of sightings. >> we see seals and sea lions all the time ben when we swim. it's pretty unusual to be beaten. >> makes us nervous. so we won't be swimming probably close to the opening, you know, out there so much. only the brave ones will get there. i only swam this morning along the buoy line, a little further out. >> reporter: a club member told us that it's mating season and when male sea lions can get a bit aggressive. now, officials are not taking any chances out here. they've decided to close the aquatic park to swimmers until further notice. reporting live, abc 7 news. >> carlos, thank you. >>> meanwhile, the swimmer who was attacked yesterday told abc 7 news he thinks the sea lion trailed him as he swam from the beach to the mouth of aquatic park. christian einfeld won't stop swimming in the bay but does say he'll make some chang

the victim was om the water near >>> a sea lion attacks a swimmer in the bay. who came to the rescue! i'm elizabeth cook. >> the victim pulled bleeding from the water this afternoon! andria borba is there tonight. andria? >> reporter: ken, elizabeth, the victim was taken to san francisco general hospital and is in serious condition from that bite. the soft waves at aquatic park lured swimmers into the waters of the san francisco bay where exercise comes with the chilly lap of mother nature and her inhabitants, including the sea lions who call this pier 39 home. >> it was a few years back. but just somebody's toes nibble on the outside, nothing to fear. >> reporter: this afternoon, around 2:00 p.m., a swimmer was outside the cove entrance when a sea lion began pursuing him. >> he originally said the sea lion was coming at him and he felt threatened. that's when he started splashing water and yelled at him to get away. >> reporter: but the sea lion persisted and attacked. >> he yelled at it and then the sea lion came up and bit him on the arm. he used his arapaho

the sea lion is 800 pounds. you can overpower them so you want to turn and go the other way. >> sea lions are territorial and sometimes aggressive toward each other. attacks on humans are rare. a veterinarian says researchers only found 11 cases in three years with no clear pattern or common cause of attack. sea lions up-and-down california have been getting sick and dying from acid that builds up in their bodies. some swimmers suspect the poisoning this orients them and causes erratic behavior. mating season could be a factor into unusual behavior. police have not issued any specific warnings and the swimmers say it is best if you see one to get out of the way. in san francisco, leigh martinez, ktvu fox 2 news. >>> several states are threatening to sue the fcc over the decision to end net neutrality. the fcc voted to overturn the obama era regulations. providers will be able to slow down apps or websites run by their rivals. the companies could block sites or change websites to make them faster. under net neutr

i have never heard of anything this aggressive by a sea lion. so there are no warnings out right now, nothing posted for swimmers? i mean, swimmers can still go in the cove, but i guess they do so at their own risk. >> reporter: yeah. and they know that they are taking a risk. we talked to several swimmers tonight. they said eh, the clubs are telling us not to go because of the attack but we're going anyway. i talked to one swimmer who knew about it and said, i'll take may chances. police are telling them to be cautious and swim in pairs not alone again because the swimmer was lucky to have that sailboat see him in distress and pull him into the dock. >> could have been a completely different story if that boat hasn't been nearby. alyana gomez live in the city, thank you, alyana. >>> as expected, the fcc voted today to repeal net neutrality rules that required internet service providers to treat all online traffic equally. telecommunications companies said the rules discouraged innovation and investment. but as james rosen says, this debate is f

another sea lion attack sends a man to the hospital with severe injuries. good afternoon, i'm anne makovec. >> i'm kenny choi. let's go to kpix 5's da lin, who is live at aquatic park which is now closed. >> reporter: that's right. authorities have shut it down to swimming until monday because of the latest sea lion attack. they just put signs up and down the shoreline in the last hour or so. swimmers are asked not to go into the water, obviously, but they are wondering if it's the same sea lion that attacked a different swimmer yesterday afternoon. we want to show you some cell phone footage taken this morning. it shows people helping this morning's victim out of the passenger seat of an suv into an ambulance. now, the attack happened around 8 a.m. this morning. the victim was swimming in the aquatic park. he says a sea lion came from underneath him and bit him in the groin area. he screamed out for help, swimmers nearby came and swam with him to shore. >> he came in shocked! he had a look in his face where, um, just wanted to get to a hospital. so we call

that's after another sea lion attack.t we talk with experts about why the massive mammals are going after swimmers.a live report... is coming up. plus...a warning in the east bay after credit card skimmers are found at a busy gas station.now police are trying to track down the suspects.the surveillance video...you will only see on kron 4.((pam)) plus...the weekend is here. will the cool temps stick around?your four zone forecast...is coming up.keep it here...hour three of kron 4 news in primetime starts right after this break. (pam) that is one possible explanation... to why átwo swimmersá have now been bitten by sea lions in the last átwo daysá.. good evening .. i'm pam moore.(steve) and i'm steve aveson.animal experts tell us this type of attack is unusual for a marine mammal.. both attacks happened in aquatic park in san francisco....tonight - the area has been closed to swimmers... kron4's hermela aregawi joins us live tonight..hermela - what are some of the possible explanations for two attacks in

. >>> now at 11:00, another sea lion attack in the bay.one in just two days and tonight we talked to one of the victims. good evening i'm ken bastida. >> and i'm elizabeth cook. both attacked happened in aquatic park in san francisco. >> aquatic park shut down at least until monday after two separate sea lion attacks. tonight one of the men who was bitten says he has a warning for swimmers. it was the first word that came to mind when swimmer christian isberg came face to face with a 400-pound sea lion. >> no. >> i said no because i was saying no to death. he got one tooth on me like that right here. ripped a good piece of skin off. >> he was still hospitalized when he heard about a second attack. a swimmer named rick melville bitten in the groin area. >> he just came here shocked. he just wanted to get to the hospital. >> reporter: witnesses captured a picture of melville being helped from an suv to an ambulance. >> it's going to be very difficult to know if it's a single sea lion that's attacking swimmers. >> reporter: melville says he w

sea lion was coming at him and he said he felt threatened. and that's why he started slashing water and tried to, you know, tried to yell at it to get away. >> reporter: but the sea lion persisted and attacked. >> he yelled at it and then the sea lion came up and bit him on the arm and he used his arm to push it away and it went away and he never saw it again after that. >> reporter: that swimmer a man in his 50s bloodied and injured made his way into the cove where he was spotted by boaters on the great goose a rented sailboat headed back to sausalito. >> saw two swimmers and then only one. turns out it was him fighting with a -- you said it was a sea lion? um, and so we picked him up and he wanted us to bring him back to shore but i'm, like, that -- >> he was bleeding a lot. >> yeah. the back is soaked. >> reporter: sfpd's marine unit heard the coast guard call and had the grey goose drop the victim off on their dock. in a stroke of luck, all sfpd marine unit officers were recently emt-certified. >> we saw it looked like a bite wound on his

. >> the man bittan by a sea lion while swimming this afternoon near fisherman's wharf tells abc7 news about his terrifying encounter. good evening i'm kristen sze. >> i'm dan ashley. the swimmer was rushed to the hospital this afternoon after getting bitten near aquatic park. tonight christian einfeldt talked with abc 7 news reporter tiffany wilson in between surgeries at sf general. >> tiffany has more. >> reporter: christian einfeldt told me the sea lion that attacked him was absolutely massive. and he was powerless. tonight he told me he is so grateful to all of the first responders who helped him. and he hopes to head home from the hospital tomorrow. christian einfeldt spoke to us from his hospital room tonight. >> i'm in almost no pain. >> reporter: he thinks the sea lion trailed him as he swam to the mouth of aquatic park. >> i did feel threatened. i did have warning but there was not -- i was a quarter mile from shore, so there was nothing i could do. >> reporter: the sea lion bit his upper right arm. it started bleeding profusely. >> i was relatively calm because i wasn't dead

. -- survives a sea lion attack by only inches. aimed at bay area aircraft. tonight: law enforc >>> now at 11:00, new legs certificate attacks -- laser attacks, aimed and aircraft. law enforcement is cracking down. >> the most recent attack happened near the oakland international airport. >> reporter: so far, seven planes at oakland airport have encountered the laser strikes. they say they are on a mission to catch the culprit. tonight. authority are scanning the skies over east oakland. searching for the suspects captured on video, doing this to a chp aircraft. >> they were taking the lasers. >> reporter: the officer said it happened during a side show saturday night near 42nd in east oakland. the suspects flashed the laser again, and again. this week, someone has been doing the same thing at oakland international airport. >> the strikes are targeting primarily small of the privately owned aircraft. >> reporter: the alameda county sheriff's department said there have been 7 laser strikes at planes near the airport since monday. each strike, a federal crime t

maybe a young sea lion being territorial? there are also talks of it being a sick sea lion. the national parks service is shutting the area down from swimming hoping the sea lion will just go away. >> it's hard to say we're able to prevent it. the thing about the cove here is a lot of people tend to think about this is their backyard, but really this is an entry into the wilderness. >> reporter: the doctor will likely give the victim rabies shots after his surgery because they don't know if the sea lion is sick or not. it's tough for experts because they say this is so uncommon, they don't know how to investigate this. they don't know how to catch the sea lion for one and to try to identify and get the two victims to make sure it's the same one. so it's a difficult case for them. that's why they're hoping the sea lion will go away. and hence he says how do you prevent something like this? >> and the warnings are there, as you see on the sign behind you, but it looks like people are still taking their chances in the water. >> reporter: there's the sign obviously for warning,

. >> the man bittan by a sea lion while swimming this afternoon near fisherman's wharf tells abc7 news about his terrifying encounter. good evening i'm kristen sze. >> i'm dan ashley. the swimmer was rushed to the hospital this afternoon after getting bitten near aquatic park. tonight christian einfeldt talked with abc 7 news reporter tiffany wilson in between surgeries at sf general. >> tiffany has more. >> reporter: christian einfeldt told me the sea lion that attacked him was absolutely massive. and he was powerless. tonight he told me he is so grateful to all of the first responders who helped him. and he hopes to head home from the hospital tomorrow. christian einfeldt spoke to us from his hospital room tonight. >> i'm in almost no pain. >> reporter: he thinks the sea lion trailed him as he swam to the mouth of aquatic park. >> i did feel threatened. have s not -- i was a quarter mile from shore, so there was nothing i could do. >> reporter: the sea lion bit his upper right arm. it started bleeding profusely. >> i was relatively calm because i wasn't dead. >> reporter: he flagged

he came across a sea lion and an aggressive one at that. listen to what police said when they described what happened. >> he was swimming and a sea lion came up to him. he splashed water at it. he yelled at it, it bit him and he pushed it away and it left and he didn't see it again. >> reporter: police say a sailboat happened to be nearby and saw the swimmer in distress. so he pulled the man onto his boat and immediately called police. police told the captain of that boat to bring him to the hyde street pier where the victim received medical attention. he was bleeding badly and tried tourniquettes to stop the bleeding and did so. he was transported to zuckerberg hospital where he is expected to be okay. we spoke to swimmers who had several encounters with sea lions. they see if they see them they don't make eye contact and go the other way. they have been seeing more sea lions lately and speculate that mating season could be one of the reasons why they are more aggressive than normal. there are other theories though that swimmers here may b

the sea lions are aggressive. i swim 90 degrees to their path. r message i am getting out. >> there is something people do with mountain lions where you make yourself big and make a lot of noise to overpower them. the sea lion is 800 pounds. you can't overpower them so you want to go the other way. >> sea lions are territorial and sometimes aggressive. attacks on humans are rare. a veterinarian with the mammal center says researchers only found 11 cases in three years and there was no clear pattern or common cause for the attacks. sea lions up-and-down california have been getting sick from acid building up in their bodies from toxic algae blooms. some swimmers suspect the poison disorient them causing erratic behavior and mating season could be a factor as well. police have not issued any specific warnings and the swimmers say it is best if you see one to get out of the way. leigh martinez, ktvu fox 2 news. >>> let's get you to work with sal castaneda who was monitoring the commute. >> it has been busy and because of traffic on the bay bridge wit

that is a feeding ground for the sea lions. one possible theory is that people got in the way when they were trying to eat their fish. start there will be a mavericks surf contest at the san mateo county coast. it will feature women for the first time. the contest window for the challenge opens january 3 and is one by the world surfing league. the previous management company, titans of mavericks, filed for bankruptcy in january. 24 men and 6 women will compete for the share of a $130,000 prize. >>> let's check on current conditions. >>> it's finally feeling better out there at this hour. we had a very chilly start. partly cloudy skies and here's a look at stormtracker where you can see clouds pouring in with plenty behind it. this is because of a system north of us helping to flatten the ridge. that has been over the west for several days and temperatures as we get into the weekend will cool off a little. it's also going to bring wind. once this passes through tonight and into tomorrow, even lasting into sunday, a wind advisory

he was a big bull. >> reporter: he says he kept shouting no to the sea lion but the sea lion came at him. >> his head actually kind of slid down my arm because he was still coming forward. and that -- fortunately he only got one tooth into my arm. >> reporter: after the bite, he never saw the sea lion again. badly bleeding, he was rescued by a sailboat. the bite ripped a hole in the skin. he will recover. specialists aren't sure if the same sea lion did both attacks. >> it's hard to speculate why it happened. but anytime you're with wild animals, you know, there's a possibility of getting bit. >> reporter: johnson did say one possibility could be domoic acid. >> it could go to the brain causing brain damage that can, you know, change the behavior of the sea lions. >> reporter: he says he should be able to get back in the water again in one to three months. and he says what happened won't keep him from swimming near aquatic park again. >> swimming is wonderful. i personally am going to swim in shallow water. >> reporter: and the marine mama center advises swimmers here not to swim alo

and i think sea lions and pier 39 is a problem. >> reporter: a sea lion was seen hanging out near this boat and club members who normally swim alone are now grouping up into pods for protection. rick says he will return to the cove but -- >> next time i go in the water, i'll go in with a pod that surrounds me and i'll swim in the middle. [ laughter ] >> reporter: in san francisco, john ramos, kpix 5. ♪[ music ] >>> time now 4:41. guns, ammo and drugs recovered during a crackdown on a bay area gang responsible for a string of violent crimes. >> plus, new details on what was going on inside the russian consulate in san francisco before it was closed. another 2am stroll, huh? i'm worried. i have this medical bill... dave, you have anthem and they have people to talk to who are empowered to help any question you... is, is he okay? real people? living and breathing. hopefully not breathing like that. for all the things that keep you up at night, anthem blue cross has a solution. here's surveillance video... from earlier this month... at a clothing shop at sonoma plaza. hows a woman i >>> so

.>>> a second sea lion attacked at the aquatic park. the closure in place plus what we are learning from yesterday's survivor.>>> we are tracking the weekend weather. i will see you back here with the forecast. >>> we are following news and dublin. there has been a deadly accident on a major freeway interchange. it has close the connector ramp from 682 580 mac the highway patrol says the vehicle struck a person around 8:30 pm. investigators are trying to figure out what the person was doing in the roadway. there is no estimate for when the highway might reopen. the closure will remain in effect is the investigation.>>> court documents released reveal accusations uber was involved in corporate spying and theft of trade secrets. the accusations appeared in a letter written by a former employee. that was filed as evidence of the lawsuit against uber igoogle's parent company alphabet. it accuses them of stealing secrets from google's automated car program. the letter says uber has a special division in the company that specializes in unlawf

maybe a young sea lion being territorial? there are also talks of it being a sick sea lion. the national park service is shutting down the park to swimmers until monday, but we saw a handful of people ignoring the signs. >> well, the swimmers here are kind of nuts. that's why we do it. if we were like normal normal like why go in there? >> reporter: authorities say it's extremely difficult to investigate this kind of attack. that's why it's unlikely for them to find out why the sea lion attacked these swimmers. they just hope the sea lion goes away and they can reopen the park to swimmers come monday. live in san francisco, i'm da lin, kpix5. police say >>> a thief in hayward tried taking a credit card scam to new heights. police say he installed a skimming device on an atm keypad, but he set up an entire fake side panel complete with a camera to catch people's pin numbers. it happened inside the chevron station at hesperian boulevard and applegateway in hayward. an employee spotted a suspicious person by the atm and called police. >>> a crackdown in parking in one area of f

. >>> a sea lion attacked the swimmer in the bay. he tells us how he believes he escaped death. >>> after years of speculation, apple is finally admitting it does, in fact, sl police say a car rammed into a ians in centra >>> we have breaking news coming out of australia. right now, police say a car rammed into a crowd of pedestrians in central mel -- melbourne. you can see emergency crews tending to some of the victims. the car is a white suv, surrounded by crime tape. as many as 19 people, we're told, were hurt. there are report that one of those injured is just a child in preschool. one witness tells a local paper that people were flying everywhere as the car mowed everybody down. the driver is under arrest. at this point, authorities are not saying whether it was a terrorist attack. >>> sky drone 5 over the former russian consulate in san francisco, but what were the russians really doing here before they were suddenly forced to leave? tonight, a new article reveals it was a hot spot for -- for espionage. >> reporter: the russian

the culprit, a sea lion.three of them which is unusual because they typically travel alone. if there is a time for strange sea lion behavior, observers say that's now. >> during the mating season about, now, which is tied to the water temperature, they get degree. i mean sea lion, actually. bigger, scarier, faster, more intimidating. people have been nibbled over the years. no one has ever been seriously hurt. >> that is until today. firefighters confirm this was indeed a very serious injury. bay swimming is not for the faint of heart. the water temperature today, a chilly 53.6 degrees. most everyone who has gone swimming here has had some sort of encounter with a sea lion but never like this. we'll have video later. >> thanks very much. >> how americans use the internet could be in for a drat

a swimmer has been fwakd a sea lion at an aquatic park in san francisco. >> it is now closed off. they have posted signs warning people not to go into the water. the man's injuries are not life threatening. witnesses say the victim was able to swim back to shore on his own. one victim said the bite was on the lower body. >> the first switcher attacked yesterday told us about what happened from his hospital bed. and he's shown off the injuries that could have easily cost him his life. >> i have a nickel sized gap in my skin where i can see my muscles, which is a little freaky. >> freaky and more than a little bit terrifying. from his hospital room, chris described the ordeal which began with his routine swim. he said sundayly it was charging at him. >> he came at me from the right. his head slid down my sxarm one tooth went into my forearm here. that's how it happened. >> he was a quarter mile offshore and losing blood quickly when he yelled to a passing sailboat. after pulling himself on board, he was ultimately rushed to san francisco general. he believes he may have made himself

. >> reporter: and park rangers say, the sea lion could change its feeding grounds and leave in a day or two so they will assess the situation out here. the plan is to reopen on monday. reporting live, abc7 news. >> thank you. the swimmer who was attacked yesterday said he thinks the sea lion trailed him as he swam from the beach to the park. he said it won't stop him from swimming in the bay but he will make some changes. >> i'm now going to be swimming in waist deep water only. this is their kingdom. so i don't think that i want to roll the dice a second time. >> reporter: experts say sea lion attacks on humans are so rare, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what sets them off. we caught up with him again in the hospital. we'll hear how his recovery is coming up at 5:00. >>> as carlos mentioned, this is not the first time sea lions have targeted humans around the bay. in 2006 there was a rogue sea scion that bit 14 swimmers in a month and chased ten more out of the water. at the time, scientists believed it was caused by the sea lions eating fish contaminated with toxic algae or pe

he was a big bull. >> reporter: he says he kept shouting no to the sea lion but the sea lion came at>> his head actually kind of slid down my arm because he was still coming forward. and that --fortunately he only got one tooth into my arm. >> reporter: after the bite, he never saw the sea lion again. badly bleeding, he was rescued by a sailboat. the bite ripped a hole in the skin. he will recover. specialists aren't sure if the same sea lion did both attacks. >> it's hard to speculate why it happened. but anytime you're with wild animals, you know, there's a possibility of getting bit. >> reporter: johnson did say one possibility could be domoic acid. >> it could go to the brain causing brain damage that can, you know, change the behavior of the sea lions. >> reporter: he says he should be able to get back in the water again in one to three months. and he says what happened won't keep him from swimming near aquatic park again. >> swimming is wonderful. i personally am going to swim in shallow water. >> reporter: and the marine mama center advises swimmers here not to swim alone but

it closed last week after a second swimmer was attacked by a sea lion. it was the second attack in a 24-hour period. john ramos spoke with the man who describes how he escaped death by inches. >> reporter: the sea lions that lay around the peer are a popular site. but last thursday, warnings were posted at nearby aquatic park after a swimmer was bitten by one outside the co-. the next day, rick decided to be safe. he restricted his daily swim to inside the brick wall. >> i was swimming along and whatever it was, everyone is thinking it is a sea lion. i never saw him, he came up from underneath me and hit me. >> reporter: the animal clamped its teeth down onto the groin area and when it finally let go, he had to hold rusher on the wound as he backs to his swim club. his friend and fellow swimmer helped him onto the beach.>> i said we are going to call 911. i could just see -- there was no blood whatsoever but there were deep wounds.>> reporter: he was rushed to the hospital and given treatment to prevent rabies. he believes the water saved him from massiv

we don't know if that is the sea lion that we're talking about. but cameras were rolling when that other sea lion came very close to the swimmers at the south end of the rowing club. according to san francisco fire, an incident involved a 60-year-old swimmer who was bitten by that sea lion. that person transported to the hospital after 8:00 in the morning with non life-threatening injuries. they did know the swimmer, the folks we talked to out there and say he was bitten in the groin area. up until about an hour ago, they were planning on going back in. now the san francisco fire department saying, no, we are closing it off until we know what's going on. >> a very reasonable idea. >> speaking of sea lions, we want to tell you about that first attack yesterday afternoon. a 56-year-old man was swimming near aquatic cove near gear deli swear. .sea lion charged the man and bit him. luckily there was a boat nearby and sailors were able to rescue that man. here's what another swimmer says he saw. >> i saw a sailboat with a wounded swimmer on it who was

or if it was two different sea lions. this time climate change climate change basically changes their food availability and we see their migration, their pattern change when their food availabiltiy is different so some years we have a lot of sea lions here in the bay and some years we don't have very many because their food is somewhere else and they follow the food. when there's less food their body condition is often affected. they're unable to find enough food to make them happy and you know a hungry animal is certainly not a happy animal.officials have closed aquatic park until at least monday. and they recommend that people keeping a safe distance from the seal lions. (hermela)and if you are bitten, leave the water as soon ass possible because there is a chance of what's called a microplasm infection that can cause fever, sore throat and other flu-like symptoms. coming up at 9, we'll hear from people who know the man that was bitten this morning. reporting live in san francsico, hermela aregawi, kron 4 news. (steve)

the closure comes after two people were attacked by a sea lion within 24 hours. the latest happened at 8:00 this morning when the aquatic park was filled with swimmers. >> we see seals and sea lions all the time when we swim. it's pretty unusual to be bitten. >> officials say a man was bit in the groin area. he was on board this sailboat when he heard the man's distress call. >> i hear these screams from right at the head of the entrance to the harb and i looked over there and the guy was screaming, screaming, screaming. >> that's when nearby swimmers went to the man's aid. yesterday's attack also happened near the cove's entrance. the bites deep enough both men were sent to the hospital. >> both bites were fairly serious. i think both are doing okay right now. but it's more than just a little nip. so we want to close the cove to swimmers and try to keep people out of there for safety and try to assess the situation. >> park rangers say incidents like this are extremely unusual. the last time people were bitten by a sea lion in san francisco ws about 11 years ago

than the sea lion came up and bit him on the arm. >> reporter: sea lions are known to be territorial and sometimes aggressive toward each other. attacks on humans are rare. a veterinarian says researchers only found 11 cases in the last three years of attacks on humans and there was no clear pattern or common cause for the attacks. sea lions have been getting sick and dying from acid that builds and their bodies from toxic algae blooms. some swimmers also suspect the poisoning disorient them and causes erratic behavior. mating season cuts also factor into their unusual behavior. police are not issuing any specific warnings about swimming in the bay but say as a precaution, it's best to stay away from wild animals. let them have their space and don't get in their way. >> good advice. if you can. thank you. >> the details on that story are so unusual. >>> the white house appears to be taking a new approach to immigration policy. next, how officials hope to sway public opinion in the new year. >>> state health officials unexpectedly release new guidelines about your cell phones. among o

that is because of a sea lion attack.t want to dip your toe but not dive in. we have details on the attacks and more how long the restrictions will be in place and hear from one of the victims hospitalized this week, after getting bitten. >>> the dump the trump administration is preventing officials from using a list of seven words or phrases at the top health agencies. >> we will have more on the forbidden words and how it is raising concerns about censoring certain issues. >> some of the words are a little surprising. we will live it at that. >>> all right, 8:00 on the clock. and let's go over to rosemary, looking at this wind, and we had thought maybe, maybe we would get some wet stuff later this week. >> we were hoping for a shift in the weather pattern. we weren't hoping for the window. hoping it would be some rain. we do have that red flag warning in place. it goes all the way through today. it doesn't expire until tomorrow morning. and it is for our bay area hills. giving you a look there, as we take a look across

this is a sight of a second sea lion attack.he hospital. he is said to be in fair condition. you can tell from these dangerous signs that have been posted along the beach. the danger signs kept most swimmers out of the water but we did see a few sneak in a few laps. >> they won't keep me out of the water. >> they want you to take the water seriously -- take warning seriously. two people were attacked by a sea lion within 24 hours. the latest happened at 8:00 this morning when the aquatic park was filled with swimmers.

simeon has studied sea lion attacks. she says because they're so rare it's hard to pinpoint the reason for the aggression. >> sometimes the animals can be sick or injured and may be showing behavior or protecting an area. sometimes the behavior seems moran dom. >> reporter: einfeldt doesn't blame the sea lion. >> i asked the doctor, when can i go back swimming? >> reporter: however, he's changing one thing about his routine. >> i'm now going to be swimming in waist deep water only because this is their kingdom, and so i don't think that i want to roll the dice a second time. >> reporter: live and learn. in san francisco tiffany wilson abc 7 news. >>> this morning we have new evacuations and new video as crews continue to battle the thomas fire in southern california, and it is certainly a tough morning for everyone after cal fire engineer was killed. 32-year-old cory iverson from san diego county had been with cal fire since 2009. sources tell abc 7 news he was overcome by a so-called burnover of fire near highway 126 in

. >>> a man had to be take tony the hospital after he was bitten by a sea lion while swimming in the san francisco bay today. the attack happened in aquatic park not far from fisherman's wharf. >> people have been nibbled here and there, no one has been seriously hurt. >> reporter: that is until now. >> the gray goose was calling in. they had seen a swimmer in distress. he reported he was bit by a sea lion and bleeding badly. >> reporter: the 56-year-old man flagged down boat whose captain brought him aboard and headed to shore. >> it looked like a bite wound onto his right upper arm and it was uncontrolled bleeding when he came on to our dock. >> reporter: police cut on a tourniquet and a second in the ambulance. he made it to the hospital where he is in good condition. >> if they sunk their teeth in they could leave with your feet. >> reporter: but sea lions usually leave that aggression for fish. >> i have never heard of anyone going to the hospital. >> reporter: this is mating season when the animals can get aggressive. >> the swimmer said he felt threatened and he started slashi

attacked, a swimmer, a sea lion and rescue crews jumping into action.ive on the scene. >>> the news starts now. thank you for joining us. i'm vicky nguyen in for jessica augeri. >> we begin with scary moments in the water. a rare attack a man was swimming in the bay when he was bit by a sea lion. he frantically tried to distract the animal but bit on the arm. plenty of people on boats and on shore were watching in horror. nbc sam brock joins us in san francisco with all the details. sam? >> reporter: raj, vicehicl vick what happening and rescued the man. the man was swimming by himself and if the bystanders hadn't been there, the outcome would have been different. >> for san francisco people that love a swim in the bay, a chilling development sunday. >> i saw a sailboat with a wounded swimmer and they screamed at me to not go out there and the wounded swimmer had deep puncture wounds in the upper arm and blood was running down and a coast guard vessel. >> reporter: nearby sailors called the coast guard after a sea lion charged a 56-year-old man near the

. >>> a man was swimming in the bay when he was bit inn by a sea lion. plenty of people on boats and on shore witnessed that attack. >> reporter: for san franciscoans who love a chill in the bay, a development that has nothing do with icy waters. >> i saw a sailboat with a wounded swimmer on it. they were waving at me to not go out there. there was a coast guard vessel there, too. >> police say fortuitous for the swimmers that they called the coast guard after a sea lion charged a man. >> the boat saved his life. they had rented the boat for the day, i believe, and they were on their way back. >> reporter: the sailors single handedly delivered the man to marine unit police for care. where officer rider applied a tourniquet to the man's arm. >> i looked him him. he looked at me and charge med. of course, i swam across the top of the water like you wouldn't believe. >> it's happened like two times the past two days. one guy told us that he was bleeding, he got bumped like five times by the sea lions. >> after the attack, members of swim clubs were back at

the marine mammal center said the sea lion or the sea lions could be playing, sick or just curious. >>> license to sell, come january 21st, anyone 21 years or older will be able to go into a marijuana dispensary and buy pot. tonight one of the first licenses have been awarded in the south bay. >> this is one of the highest quality. >> reporter: at buddy's cannabis, tonight a reason to break out the good stuff. >> it's exciting. >> reporter: they were just awarded the state's first micro business license and are now able to open their doors to nonmedical clients on january 21st. >> it does help legitimize the industry. we had been operating in the shadows so many years and now taking the next step puts us as part of the community. >> matt is the owner and says the micro business owner allows to sell and cultivate and grow on site. >> we're hiring more employees, we're starting work to further develop our upstairs grow. >> reporter: only 15 businesses are licensed to sell recreationally come january 1st, but you have to get a state license, too. right now buddy is the only one, but the

the sea lion at him on the arm.>> reporter: this sailboat was motoring by. the skipper plugged the injured man from the water and radio for help. >> he was holding direct pressure himself while the it was driving the boat.>> reporter: a deep wound to his upper arm. the required a tourniquet and pressure bandages. he remained conscious and even calm. >> he was talking the whole time. everything -- everything about him seemed normal. we got the bleeding stopped as best we could. he was more worried about his clothes on the beach. but mac sea lions have been getting sick and dying from acid in their bodies from toxic algae blooms. some swimmers suspect the poisoning is oriented's them. there are other -- for why they seek out humans.>> it is the mating season for the seals.>> reporter: for whatever reason close encounters seem to be more frequent.>> used to be very rare. once every 10 years. it happens now. it is not a surprise when it happens.>> reporter: swimmers to shrug it off.>> i went in after the bite and i survived.>> reporter: they are not making speci

california sea lions attack two men in two days..g swimmers wondering if the bay waters are safe. the first victim yesterday afternoon. was bitten on the arm and is being treated for serious injuries.dr. shaun johnnson/head veternarian, marine mammal centerto have a severe bite likes this is very unusual. it's really hard to speculate if it was the same sea lion and what the reasoning was. sea lions are wild animals so if they feel threatened they will protect themselves or they're very curious as well so it's possible that they were exploring what this person was doing in their enviornment.the latest victim was bitten this morning.. and is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.i came into the club and here comes my friend rick coming out and his friend was pulling him out said call 911 hes been bitten. he seemed a little shock. he was not bleeding profusely. he was holding a towel over his wound. we called 911. i think he's going to be okay but it has spooked a lot of us out. experts say.. they can only speculate on what i

it's a second sea lion attack there in two days. now sea lion baits usually rare. but this has everyone asking, how could it happen twice? nbc bay area christie smith joins from us frist. and christie you spoke to one swirm. he said the animal was huge and that it was angry. >> reporter: that's right. i have to tell you that christian is in really good spirits considering what happened. says he was on his usual swim, trying to be careful when a sea lion bit him in the arm. he is thankful to everyone who helped him. but now this is the second reported incident this week. and the area is temp aerial closed to swimming. >> i looked behind me. and there he was. >> in man is recovering at zuckerberg sf general he says he was trying to be cautious during the swim near the park cove when he says a sea lion came at him and he tried to stay calm. >> i was very, very frightened. because he was a big bull. i think he was 7 feet and 400 pounds appear he was angry at me. >> he tried to pull his legs up to protect them and redirect the animal. that's when he says the mouth came

the culprit is believed to be a sea lion.t happened near aquatic park not far from iconic fisherman's wharf. abc 7 reporter jonathan bloom joins us with the latest. >> reporter: police say the victim is in good condition, even good spirits, considering what happened. but it could have been a much different story if not for the captain of a passing sailboat who stopped to help. >> people have been nibbled over the years here and there. no one's ever really been seriously hurt. >> reporter: that is, until now. >> the vessel named gray goose had seen a swimmer in distress. they reported he had been bitten by a sea lion and was bleeding badly. >> reporter: the 56-year-old man had flagged down the boat, whose captain brought him aboard and brought him to shore. >> it looks like a bite wound to his right upper arm. it was uncontrolled bleeding when he came onto our dock. >> reporter: police put on a tourniquet, and a second in the ambulance. he went to the hospital where he's been upgraded to good continue. >> when they sink their

the culprit is believed to be a sea lion.t happened near aquatic park not far from iconic fisherman's wharf. abc 7 reporter jonathan bloom joins us with the latest. >> reporter: police say the victim is in good condition, even good spirits, considering what happened. but it could have been a much different story if not for the captain of a passing sailboat who stopped to help. >> people have been nibbled over the years here and there. no one's ever really been seriously hurt. >> reporter: that is, until now. >> the vessel named gray e had seen a swimmer in distress. they reported he had been bitten by a sea lion and was bleeding badly. >> reporter: the 56-year-old man had flagged down the boat, whose captain brought him aboard and brought him to shore. >> it looks like a bite wound to his right upper arm. it was uncontrolled bleeding when he came onto our dock. >> reporter: police put on a tourniquet, and a second in the ambulance. he went to the hospital where he's been upgraded to good continue. >> when they sink their teet