VIDEO: Fisherman dragged underwater by sea lion

SAN DIEGO, CA -- A fisherman has a warning, after surviving a close call with an aggressive sea lion that pulled him and his catch of the day underwater.

Back in April, Dan Carlin's wife asked to take a snapshot of him holding his catch, at the back of his boat. And while they are careful not to leave temptation around for wildlife, this snack was too much for one sea lion to overlook.

"The minute that she said smile, the sea lion came up and grabbed my hand and the fish at the same time, ripped my arm straight down right here, crushing my chest with unbelievable force," Dan told KGTV-TV. "It was terrifying. When the sea lion was taking me down and I was going at that rate of speed I knew I was going to die."

Dan spent an estimated 20 seconds struggling with the sea lion underwater before breaking free. While he feels lucky to have survived the attack, Dan wants his experience to serve as a lesson for others to steer clear of the sea lions.