Portuguese triathlete attacked by seal during training session at California beach: VIDEO

MALIBU, Calif. — A Portuguese triathlete was attacked by a seal at a California seashore throughout a coaching session – and it was all captured on video.

Vasco Vilaca, a 22-year-old who completed second place within the Tremendous League Triathlon in Munich final weekend, was in Malibu for coaching when he mentioned the seal bit his arm.

He mentioned he tried to soundly get the animal off with out distressing the animal.

“I used to be simply swimming within the ocean and was unfortunate sufficient to swim in direction of the place a seal was,” he mentioned in a report concerning the incident posted on the Tremendous League Triathlon’s web site. “It began swimming in direction of me and obtained very shut and it felt like a canine smelling me.”

A Tremendous League Triathlon crew was filming the athlete and captured the assault.

“I attempted to only slowly, with out doing something aggressive, push it away and at a sure level there was a powerful wave that pushed it towards me after which I pushed it extra aggressively away as a result of it was on me after which it obtained scared and bit my arm and would not let go,” mentioned Vilaca.

He mentioned he tried to seize the seal’s tooth and open its mouth to get it off.

“I did not know what to do with the seal as a result of I assumed if I let go it could chunk me once more,” he mentioned.

He added, “When it bit me, I had a wetsuit on however one of many tooth reduce by and punctured by the pores and skin. After I was grabbing the tooth from beneath and was grabbing the mouth was after I obtained a couple of cuts on my fingers. I’m comfortable to be okay.”

Vilaca was in a position to swim to shore after a big wave in the end obtained the seal off.

Tremendous League Triathlon officers mentioned he was handled by lifeguards on the seashore earlier than being taken to a medical facility for an analysis.

He has since been cleared to take part on this weekend’s race.