VIDEO: Angry sea lions chase sunbathers at San Diego beach

San Diego beachgoers at La Jolla beach on Friday were joined by a couple of unruly tourists: two angry sea lions.

A viral video shows the moment when the two marine mammals start chasing after the sunbathers on the small stretch of sand. Some beachgoers run away, while others go deeper into the water as the sea lions waddle after them. 

Eventually, the sea lions go back into the water and swim off. 

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The creator of the viral TikTok video told NBC San Diego that a person had gotten too close to the sleeping mammals to take a picture, waking them up and causing them to react like that. 

“I started recording because it was really funny to watch for me because to see all these tourists getting blown away by these giant sea lions,” said Charlianne Yeyna.

"The sea lions were sleeping and were just massive on the beach and I was just watching them and this woman got really close to them, like 4 feet away, and was trying to take a photo of it up close, and it just woke up and started chasing everybody," Yeyna added.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in this incident. However, sea lions can grow up to 1,000 pounds and can be aggressive at times. 

"People should be cautious and keep their space at a reasonable distance," a spokesperson for SeaWorld said. "Although sea lions may get close to visitors along the beach, it's always recommended that we/the public do not get close and interrupt their behavior."

La Jolla is part of the San Diego La Jolla’s Underwater Park Ecological Reserve, which protects marine life in the area. The La Jolla Cove is known for hosting several sea lions and seals who sunbathe on the nearby rocks. 

Last year, the San Diego City Council approved a seasonal closure of the beach from May 1 through October 31 for the sea lion pupping season.