VIDEO: Fisherman talks moment he was dragged underwater by sea lion

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KABC) -- A San Diego 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 early April, Dan Carlin's wife, Trish, asked to take a snapshot of him holding the fish he caught while heading back to dock in the Mission Bay Channel. 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 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," Carlin told KGTV-TV. "It was terrifying. When the sea lion took me down and I was going down at that rate of speed, at that point, I knew that I was going to die."

Carlin spent an estimated 20 seconds struggling with the sea lion underwater before breaking free.

"I've never gone through the water as fast as I was moving... just by my hand he was holding me," he said.

While Carlin feels lucky to have survived the attack, he wants his experience to serve as a lesson for others to steer clear of the sea lions.

"They're very aggressive and I just want parents to know that you should not let your children get within 10 feet of them," Carlin said.