Sea lions run the gamut from aggressive to docile

By Susan Scott

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 14, 2011

~~<p>I have had some memorable experiences swimming with California sea lions here in the Sea of Cortez, but none as thrilling as two incidents last week. One was a tad too thrilling. As I snorkeled, I watched a bull sea lion charge my husband. Thirty minutes later a flotilla of female sea lions calmed my pounding heart with a precious gift: They let me float with them.</p>
<p>Craig and I had left our sailboat, Honu, in a safe anchorage and puttered our inflatable dinghy, Baby Honu, to Seal Rock, or Roca Lobos. (A seal is a "lobo marino" in Spanish.) This well-named islet off the Baja town of La Paz is a resting place for sea lions as well as a popular diving and snorkeling site.</p>
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I have had some memorable experiences swimming with California sea lions here in the Sea of Cortez, but none as thrilling as two incidents last week. One was a tad too thrilling. As I snorkeled, I watched a bull sea lion charge my husband. Thirty minutes later a flotilla of female sea lions calmed my pounding heart with a precious gift: They let me float with them.

Craig and I had left our sailboat, Honu, in a safe anchorage and puttered our inflatable dinghy, Baby Honu, to Seal Rock, or Roca Lobos. (A seal is a "lobo marino" in Spanish.) This well-named islet off the Baja town of La Paz is a resting place for sea lions as well as a popular diving and snorkeling site. Login for more...