Case of sea lion biting St Kilda surfer not an attack says DoC

A Dunedin man says he does not hold a grudge against the sea lion that bit him. Photo / Supplied via Otago Daily Times

A Dunedin man says he does not hold a grudge against the sea lion that bit him.

Dunedin surfer Craig Latimer said he was in the waves with a friend on Sunday morning when the incident happened.

His friend was surfing while he was filming, and the sea lion came up to them and was interacting with them.

The sea lion "mouthed" him a bit too hard and put a hole in his wetsuit.

"I've been out in the water for the last 30 years and had heaps of encounters with them, and that was kind of the first time anything like that happened," Latimer said.

"It just gave me a bit of a fright and we headed for the shore straight after that."

It was not uncommon for sea lions to mouth objects and he had them chew flippers before.

Dunedin surfer Craig Latimer indicates where a sea lion bit through his wetsuit at St Kilda Beach on Saturday. Photo Isaac Walker

"You can feel them when they're giving them a wee taste test," Latimer said.

He did not believe the seal had been trying to bite him.

"They're just doing what they do."

Read More

• Bodyboarder trying to fight off sea lion wrong - DoC ...
• Course hazard: Hiriwa the sea lion on the 13th green ...
• Sea lion incident at Dunedin's St Clair beach sparks ...
• New Zealand sea lion now listed as 'endangered' - NZ ...

His advice for any ocean-goers faced with similar circumstances was "don't be too worried, they're just very curious animals ... "

"Just try to remain calm and don't panic."

Department of Conservation community ranger Jim Fyfe was optimistic the sea lion could be identified from Latimer's video footage.

It was likely to be a juvenile male, as they tended to be the most boisterous.

The incident was "certainly not an attack" and might be better characterised as a scrape where the sea lions' canines got stuck, Fyfe said.

More sea lions were coming ashore at this time of year and beach users were being reminded of the importance of sharing space, he said.