Sea lions aren't super high on the list of aquatic animals surfers usually need to worry about encountering in the water. However, we were treated to a

Domoic acid poisoning is stranding marine mammals as warnings are issued to beachgoers of the threat posed by animals that are transformed by their illness.

A marine rescuer tells us the animals are being poisoned by a harmful algal bloom offshore from Southern California. Scientists say more frequent blooms are fueled by changing ocean conditions and nutrient pollution made worse by an increasingly warmer atmosphere.