Haul Outs and Noisy Breathers

 A couple blogs back I wrote about sea lions that we saw chasing fish in biolumenescence, and it got me thinking of all the other times we've run across them in our travels.  Larger, funnier, and braver than I ever expected, we've had some very exciting encounters.

 Some summers our routes go in circles, and we end up passing the same spots atleast a few times. One of the best parts of repeat trips is checking out the most popular sea lion haul outs, where we've seen anywhere from a few dozen hanging out to several hundred all together, fighting and climbing over each other to sun on the rocks. The noise when a haul out is crowded is so intense, they are barking and calling and splashing SO loudly! Juveniles play hilarious games of truth and dare, each one popping up closer and closer to the boat until one calls chicken and they all head back to the group. Sometimes we'll see huge gatherings of all the babies, high up and away from the males, napping so still its unbelievable with all the commotion. It makes for a pretty great afternoon to drift in the sun and watch so many animals gathered up in their favored spots, and even when there aren't many, we know we'll see them somewhere else.

 Sea lions might be fairly common around here, just a ferry ride might let you catch a view of them doing the same, watching the boat go by, but on a sail boat, right down close to the water, it offers an entirely different perspective, and one thats pretty great.