Woman Decides to Swim Near Seals on Animal-Shaped Floatie, Instant Regret

A woman has sent the internet spiraling after she bathed in a harbor where there are seals and the risk of sharks.

Anni (@banannikab) decided to float on an inflatable toucan ring in what commenters believe to be Santa Barbara Harbor, California. The woman starts off by grinning under the sun but then instantly begins to panic when she edges further toward six seals basking on the harborside. She then becomes alarmed when one seal jumps in and swims toward her. The footage has received more than 5.4 million views in six days.

Last July, there was a rise in seal attacks on humans in California after toxic algae poisoning made the marine mammals act out of character and aggressive. Surfers in the south of the state were attacked and bitten by the seals.

Anni shared on TikTok: "Floating by seals on an inflatable Toucan and instantly regretting it. Butt was extremely vulnerable to seal attack."

As the swimming seal approaches Anni, her anxiety worsens. "Don't attack, oh my God, no no no, you can just stay, right over there," a caption reads. After the first seal jumps, more follow, and the woman's panic escalates.

Fortunately, the poster seems to escape the seal-infested waters unscathed, but other Tiktok users warned Anni of her decision to enter.

Angela wrote: "Please be careful my stomach sank when I saw you were tubing in a harbor - sharks are drawn there. Stay safe!"

Sam added: "Where there's seals, there's sharks."

Despite commenters warning the bather not to float in the harbor water due to pollution and feces, Santa Barbara Harbor authorities say the area is open for sailing, sea kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and scuba diving.

The woman also defended her decision to swim in the harbor in a follow-up video. Anni said: "It is a harbor, but it is also a beach. I did not pop off a boat deck to get in this water. I think I was, like, 30 feet away from the beach, if that helps; it's more of a channel."

Another user admitted to having done the same activity and having survived the seals, but Rachel posted: "My ex got attacked while fishing on one of these tubes by a seal be careful."

The Outdoor Swimming Society advises swimmers to stay a safe distance from wild seals and not to disturb or approach them. The recommended minimum distance is 330 feet, but 660 feet is optimum, adds the society.

Newsweek reached out to Anni for comment via Instagram and TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case.