Or nobody attacks anyone? Could this just be a case of media hype and a case of mistaken intentions? Or would a sea lion really try to attack a kitesurfer mid-jump? 

The photo adjacent shows a young kitesurfer riding at Woodmans Pt, WA a couple of weeks ago. He's mid jump, (with a stylish grab thrown in the mix for good measure) but below him, a large sea lion lunges out of the water (possibly) aiming for the rider.

According to the photographer Andres Morrison, his friend was pretty shaken up after the close encounter and wasn't too keen on getting back into the water after that. Despite seeing the animals at the same location several times before, they all said this was the closest they'd come to sea lions in the water, but never had did anyone believe they were in danger. 

First posted on the Seabreeze.com.au forums a week ago, the overwhelming response from viewers was that it was actually a photoshopped photo. Upon several eyewitness reports confirming its validity, more sea lion related stories appeared with many kite surfers reporting riding in close proximity with the creatures in WA, especially further north in Lancelin where it's was reported that a couple of surfers have actually been attacked by Sea lions in the past. 

Comments left below the newspaper article on the Perth Now website seemed very biased against the newspapers claims, with several comments likening the media hype to the WA shark scares of recent months. Many stories left below the article were in favour of the sea lions, like this one left by one known only as 'The Crayped Crusader of Gottem Villas'
 
"There used to be lots of them at Karnak Island and they loved playing with snorkelers. They have their own game of tag and they will play for hours if you have the time and energy. If you get out of the water they will swim to shallow water and bark until you get back in to play with them, It is a fantastic experience. It could be that the one featured in the article actually wanted to play with the surfer, seals rarely bother to attack when they are in the water, but may do if you get too close to them on land."

So, animal attack or media hype? You decide. Read the response in the seabreeze forums here. 

Check out the (very) serious news article in the Perth newspaper here. 

#News #Kitesurfing #North