So...last year the wife and I kayaked out to the island in asunsion, as we got closer to the island they (seamed like thousands), came up to us
barking and everything. It was if they were saying GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, I thought that was pretty cool they being so close, my question is it
safe to get in the water with them?? Two or three of the big males looked pretty knarly and would have liked to take a bite out of me. We are going to
do it again next month.
If you\'re not living on the EDGE... You\'re taking up too much room! Its never too late for a darkside.
I snorkeled with seals off of La Paz many years ago and from what I remember you have to be careful at times. It really was amazing as the females
would come up and just dance all around you but as the captain said, if a male came up and blew bubbles in your direction, get away...he is NOT happy
with you being there and can and will bite and it is not pretty. Since I can barely remember what I had for dinner last night, i am wondering if this
recollection is true!!!!
I have swam with the Sea Lions of Cortez for over 20 years. Most of the adults migrate away from the area in the spring. The younger pups and older
females seem to stay behind. The pups are quite friendly and curious, and a lot of fun to swim with. Adult males are territorial, and more than a
little scary at times. I avoid them. Bottom line, approach slowly, don't ever touch one (they may touch you), and back off if you feel threatened.
the trick with snorkeling with sea lions at Asuncion Island is to choose your area carefully depending on what time of year it is. There are several
thousand animals there and you need to find a group of juveniles as they are fun and not aggressive. Never offer food to them and keep your
extremities close to your body...dont reach out to them.
It is not adviseable to swim with them if there are young pups nearby as the males will be very protective of them. He will yell very loud to warn you
off and cruise by you alot barking which should mean get out of there. It's best to stay in the middle of the bay and not get close to the beach or
rocks where youngsters are.
There are 2 areas where we take people to snorkel with them depending on the time of year. ...have a blast!
I spend a bit of time in and on the water. I don't like seals... They are more like packs of dogs then anything else. Sheri knows far more about this
then I do, when they are around in large numbers I get away.
"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W.C.Fields
They are a constant problem off the calif coast !! and have sunk boats and have bitten people...A friend off mine that runs the boat rental wharf in
capatola ca was on the gunnel of his Zodiac and one came up and bite him on the butt...7/8 stiches later he was good to go...what non boating folks
don't know !! they are fed protected and the orcas and great white number has declined...that's their only predator and their (seals) population has
been out of control for at least 25 years or more...the UC wash. state did a STUDY AT THE HOOD LOCKS 20 YRS AGO AND EST. 50 LBS OF FISH A DAY THEY EAT
!!(SALMON) so,,swim with If you want to..ME NO.. and wish their numbers would decline,, as in a major decline !! and yes Ihave been many times to the
place out of la paz N. of I.Satos....I laugh when I see land folks go "ohh,, A seal...how cute"" not knowing the big picture...the Feds refuse to do
anything to manage them and its getting worse by the year...please don't reply with some save the seal crap..till you know what in the hell your
talking about !! I'll take you out and hook you up with 30lb salmon only to have seal steal it from you !! not a laughing matter ...for ocean lovers
!!
I've been near them in sailboats, kayaks and while diving and snorkeling. Have you checked out those teeth? I give them a wide berth.
Sea lions are called "lobos del mar" (wolves of the sea) for a reason: they hunt. they bite. they protect their territory and fellow pack members.
They are also pretty smart.
I agree with others' advice: keep your distance, don't invade their space, avoid pups...the usual. It will be a much more fun outing for all
concerned.
And be prepared to move quickly: They will let you know if/when you are too close.
[Edited on 2-8-2014 by Whale-ista]
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
I've been around the Ocean for 50 yrs., surfing.etc.,
seals spook me more than anything one is to encounter,
have heard, not verified it is best to keep eye contact
with them, I would not on purpose be in the water
with them
You're right Capkw, especially up the northern Ca Coast they have become a big nuisance..Ruining docks and boats up and down the coast from Santa Cruz
to Fort Bragg.
Lost many a fish to those buggers. And they're smart as a whip. Once they start following your boat, the fishing is over. Even fishing in the surf and
they show outside the breakers...... goodbye fish.
Lots of captains I fished with carried 22's, but even that didn't deter them much. Pretty hard to hit that target from a rolling boat.
Around 5 years ago so many of them got on a NOAA boat down in Monterey harbor that "pooded" one of its motors!!! I still have a seal bomb from the
DFG..they used to give them out to the commercial guys..I don't know if they still do ? and god help you if your down wind of them !!! K&T
Lots of sea lions the other day in the marina district of Newport, Oregon. Real camera hams who put on a show for the tourists throwing food to them.
Fisherman's Wharf, the Bay area. "Yoo Hoo...This is NOT a petting zoo."
Crescent City, California coast. The harbor has many resident seals and sea lions. Spent a couple nights in a nearby RV park. The seals were very
good at barking throughout the night!!
Northern Cal coast. Quite a few beach areas where these guys congregate. There are pull-offs for spectators and camera hounds.
Lots of marinas wish they were better neighbors...and many boaters don't throw away their old seal bombs.
How many of us have taken the elevator ride down into the Sea Lion Cave on the coast south of Newport? Quite a sight...and smell...whew!
One of my favorite seal photos. 1974 at the seal rocks next to San Marcos Island just south of Loreto, Baja Sur. Got Mama in midair. See the pups
in the rocks?
There's always somebody...or something.... out there.
Ouch! A narrow escape from being dinner. That had to hurt...
"If it were lush and rich, one could understand the pull, but it is fierce and hostile and sullen.
The stone mountains pile up to the sky and there is little fresh water. But we know we must go back
if we live, and we don't know why." - Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." - Theodore Roosevelt
"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them or to them." - Malcolm Forbes
"Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others
cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you." - Jim Rohn
"The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer." - Cunningham's Law
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