Sea lions aren't super high on the list of aquatic animals surfers usually need to worry about encountering in the water. However, we were treated to a

Domoic acid poisoning is stranding marine mammals as warnings are issued to beachgoers of the threat posed by animals that are transformed by their illness.

Sea lions and other ocean mammals in Southern California are falling victim to a poisoning event that a local expert calls the worst in recent memory. It is stranding the mammals along the coast as warnings are issued to beachgoers of the threat posed by animals that are transformed by their illness.