In the blink of an eye, some sudden unexpected element can leave you with a million questions and your crew with some major complaints.
One teenage employee of a fishing boat was reportedly caught completely off guard by a surprise visit from a sea lion while the boat he was traveling on was docked in an Alaskan seafood co-op.
In a flash, the the 19-year-old worker who had been sitting on the railing of the boat, according to the Anchorage Daily News, was attacked by a specimen that leaped out of the water and bit his rear end through his clothes.
The event happened quickly and doesn't seem to have left much permanent damage. Most of the focus of the coverage seems to be on how random this event was, even in Sitka, an area in the southeast of Alaska frequented by animals and fishing boats. The bite seems to have been a momentary bit of aggression, but that doesn't mean it should be ignored.
The source also quoted Julie Speegle of the National Marine Fisheries Service, who tried to pinpoint possible motivation for this sea lion to attack while acknowledging that it is not entirely uncommon for the region.
"We don't know if this particular sea lion had an experience in the past where it would associate people with food and perhaps that's why it was aggressive," Speegle said.
In this instance, the victim seems to have been taking enough precautions to have avoided serious injury. However, marine crew insurance (especially for someone so young) needs to be in effect when there's any potential for something like this to happen.