Rare moment playful sea lion chases after a school of fish at Sydney’s Bronte Beach – as surfers and swimmers gather to get a closer look
- The school of fish were seen at Bronte Beach in Sydney on Thursday morning
- An Australian sea lion swims into the school and playfully flips itself around
- It then swims towards surfers who noticed its antics and wanted a closer look
Amazing drone footage has captured a sea lion chase after a school of fish at Sydney’s picturesque Bronte Beach.
The school of fish were swimming in a large circle just before 9am on Thursday off the shore when a sea lion approached.
Overhead footage showed the sea lion dart into the middle of the bait ball, breaking their formation before slowing down and playfully spinning around underwater.
It then moved towards three nearby surfers who noticed the sea lion’s antics and decided to get a closer look.
The school of fish were swimming in a large circle just before 9am on Thursday off the shore of Bronte Beach in Sydney, NSW
It isn’t the first time a sea lion has been captured showing off its playful side.
One sea lion struck up an unlikely friendship with a dog who frolicked in the ocean together just metres from Fremantle’s South Beach in Western Australia.
Another involved a sea lion in North Beach nudging a surfer with its flipper as it jumped out of the water and tried to get involved.
According to the Australian Marine Conservation Society, the rare species are native to Australian waters.
Their diet consists of fish, squid, cuttle fish, octopus but in some instances, they have been found to eat sharks.
They are currently endangered with only around 11,000 Australian sea lions left in the wild today.
It is believed their long and complicated breeding cycle alongside high mortality rates have made the species more vulnerable to extinction.
An Australian sea lion darts into the middle, breaking the fish’s formation before it slows down and spins around underwater
It then moves towards three nearby surfers who noticed the sea lion’s antics and decided to get a closer look