Video: Sea lion leaps into canoe during Monterey Bay race

Sea lion leaps into canoe during Monterey Bay race

Sea lion leaps into canoe during Monterey Bay race, video by Alan Luckow via Storyful shows

MONTEREY, Calif. - An enthusiastic sea lion leaped out of the Monterey Bay over Memorial Day weekend, hopping onto a racing outrigger canoe, before slipping back into the saltwater and becoming an instant viral sensation.

"I just screamed my head off," Channing Baker, who was sitting in seat 3, told KTVU on Wednesday. "At first I thought it was a shark." 

Enthusiastic sea lion

What we know:

The crazy scene was captured by Alan Luckow, who was a participant in the Monterey Hoe Wa'a race, and who lent his 360 camera to Baker's team, Outrigger Santa Cruz, on May 23. 

At some point during the race, the sea lion decided to say hello to Baker and her pals paddling along. That is, say hello with an open mouth and baring its teeth.

But no harm was done. And no one was injured. 

In seconds, the mammal splashed back into the bay, leaving a trail of slime on some of the stroker's face.

Still, Luckow said the stroker – the woman paddling in front – never even missed a beat and Outrigger Santa Cruz placed third, which he added is quite a feat. 

The team posted the video on their Instagram page with the caption, "So this happened." 

"She did everything right," Luckow said. "The boat could have easily tipped."

For Luckow, the experience was really cool. 

"We see a lot of crazy things," Lockow told KTVU on Wednesday. "But this is one of those situations where the animal wasn't hurt. The stroker wasn't hurt. It was sort of this great experience interacting with nature."