Tourists had the shock of their lives when a young girl was pulled underwater by a sea lion as she sat on a dock near Vancouver, Canada.

The shocking incident captured on camera first shows the girl watching the sea lion as it approached the edge of the dock.

When she turned her back on it, the sea lion grabbed her by the back of her dress and pulled her underwater.

A man immediately jumped in to rescue the girl and both walked away unharmed.

Bob Baziuk, the general manager of the Steveston Harbour Authority, told CNN the harbour is on the sea lions' migratory route and that males sometimes swim into the area looking for food.

Baziuk says that visitors have been warned not to feed the animals for years.

"It's not Sea World, it's a place where you buy fish," Baziuk said. "If you feed the animals like this you're asking for trouble."