A California canoe race turned into a scene straight out of a nature blooper reel when a sea lion suddenly decided it wanted in on the action.
Six members of an outrigger canoe team were competing in Monterey, California, over Memorial Day weekend when the unexpected marine guest made a very dramatic entrance.
The whole thing was captured on video, and it is just as chaotic as it sounds.
In the clip, the Outrigger Santa Cruz team can be seen paddling hard in perfect rhythm as their light-blue canoe cuts through the water. Everything seems normal at first. Then, a sea lion’s head suddenly pops up near the front of the boat.
The animal disappears beneath the surface as the canoe passes by, but it was not finished making its presence known.
Seconds later, the sea lion comes flying out of the water with a splash and lands right on the front of the canoe, startling the paddlers and soaking several of them in the process.
The racers near the front briefly stop paddling and squeal in surprise as the sea lion makes its brief cameo. Just as quickly as it appeared, the animal hops back into the water and swims off.
“Oh my God!” one of the front paddlers can be heard shouting as she looks back at the sea lion.
Another paddler calls the moment “crazy,” which seems like a pretty fair description.
Alan Luckow, who caught the encounter on his 360 camera, told Storyful that the paddlers were definitely startled by the surprise visitor.
WATCH THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE!
“During the race, they were startled by a sea lion that apparently wanted to be part of the team,” Luckow said. “Unfortunately, there are only six spots in an outrigger canoe.”
Despite the wild interruption, the team did not lose focus for long. As the sea lion swam away, one paddler quickly reminded the group to keep going.
“Keep paddling,” someone says from the back of the canoe.
“Go, go, go,” another racer adds.
The camera then shows the rest of the crew laughing and smiling after the shocking encounter. Nobody appeared hurt, and the team seemed to take the sea lion’s surprise visit in stride.
“The team was Outrigger Santa Cruz,” Luckow said. “Crew members were all smiles in the boat and tickled by this unique and rare encounter with this beautiful animal.”
It may not have been part of the race plan, but it definitely made for the most unforgettable moment on the water.