Sea Lions

Sea lions could be found everywhere on all islands on the beaches and in the water. They were very noisy creatures; sometimes you might have mistaken yourself to be at a fraternity belching contest, sounds I curiously found easy to replicate. "It helps to speak the language," I would offer as an excuse to other tour members if they questioned.

The colonies were mostly females and their young. It wasn't hard to spot the dominant bull male -- he was the one making the rounds both in the water and on land keeping everyone in line. He was also the one winning all of the arguements with the up-and-coming male sea lions.

The sea lions were always curious in the water. Often they would swim circles around our Zodiacs. One snorkeling trip had them following delighted members of the tour all the way back to the boat. Besides playing in the water and making rude noises, the sea lions' favorite pasttime was sleeping in the sand. It didn't matter what time of the day it was, there were always more sea lions sleeping on the beach than doing anything else.

Mick@micktravels.com