This spearfisher in Baja, Mexico, managed to fend off a sea lion that attempted to bite the fish right off his spear.

In the footage, Logan Boettcher manages to spear a yellowtail fish and as he is pulling it up to the surface a curious sea lion appears.

Boettcher told Newsflare: "On my very first dive, I shot a 10lb+ yellowtail, almost immediately a 600lb sea lion swoops in and attempts to eat the fish.

"The sea lion chases aggressively after the fish as I attempt to pull the yellowtail to me. A fellow diver tries to scare off the animal but fails.

"The sea lion then gets a solid bite onto the fish and rips it back and forth but the fish manages to escape.

"I successfully grab and secure the fish then proceed to the give the sea lion the middle finger."

This encounter was filmed on September 5.

This video was shot a during a Spearfishing trip to Baja, Mexico. On my very first dive I shot a 10lb+ Yellowtail. My very first of the species. Almost immediately a 600lb Sea Lion swoops in and attempts to eat the fish. The Sea Lion chases aggressively after the fish as I attempt to pull the Yellowtail to me. A fellow diver tries to scare off the animal but fails. The Sea Lion then gets a solid bite onto the fish and rips it back and forth but the fish manages to escape. The Yellowtail then breaches the surface and flies over another dive with the Sea Lion still chasing it too within reach of my fins. I successfully grab and secure the fish then proceed to the give the Sea Lion the middle finger.