A nursing Monk seal viciously attacked a swimmer at a Hawaiian beach, with the brutal assault caught on video.
The shocking incident occurred when the mother seal followed and attacked a swimmer in the water off Kaimana beach in Waikiki after the woman accidentally swam too close to the seal’s pup, Fox News reported.
A statement from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources said that the attack occurred on Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. and caused lacerations to the face, back and arm of the 60-year old swimmer from California.
In the video, other beachgoers yell at the woman to get out of the water as the female seal tries to bite her head. A canoer sees what is going on and blocks the seal’s path as the woman is able to move toward the beach. Several onlookers then assist the injured woman and carry her onto the sand as the seal retreats back into the water.
According to an investigation by officials, the woman "did nothing to provoke the incident."
"It was a brutal attack. It was rough to watch. At one point, Rocky’s mouth got a hold of her head, and she was trying to splash and get away. I could tell she was stunned," witness Rosa Timberlake told KITV.
"The seal saw the swimmer and raced toward her. People started screaming and yelled to call 911. Everyone was freaking out nobody knew what to do since there was no lifeguard on duty," Timberlake’s daughter, Kaili Timberlake, told the news outlet.