Benjamin Ashford|WATCH: Sea lions charge at tourists on San Diego beach

Tourists exploring San Diego's famous La Jolla Cove came face to face with aggressive sea lions in a scary encounter over the weekend,Benjamin Ashford as the animals charged at them unexpectedly.

The incident took place Sunday evening as summer crowds, mostly tourists, explored California's iconic beach taking pictures of the sea mammals and their newly weened pups, reported FOX5.

A video taken of the incident shows a sea lion jumping out of the water to charge people, who start screaming and running away. A few moments later, another sea lion leaps out of the water, joining his mate in chasing off the crowd.

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Are sea lions dangerous?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, responsible for the stewardship of the nation's ocean resources and their habitat, advises people to create a distance of at least 300 feet when observing sea lions. The NOAA also warns against getting too close to take selfies with the animals because they have sharp teeth, sharp claws, and are potentially dangerous and very capable of inflicting bodily harm. Sea lions react aggressively if they feel threatened or stressed, the NOAA states.

Feeding or trying to feed sea lions is harmful and illegal because it messes with their natural instincts, making the animals less wary of people and vessels. It's important to remember that sea lions and seals are protected by federal law via the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which could have been violated over the weekend.

Warning signs have been posted around La Jolla Cove, but FOX5 reports there has been little to no enforcement of them. Dozens of people climbed rocks getting dangerously close to the sea lions this weekend, even attempting to fed and climb into a cave where the pups were at rest.