Re: [Paddlewise] sea lions

writes:

 " I likewise have had sea lions closer than I like. On at least three
occasions they have surfaced beside me close enough that could have 
touched
them with my paddle. I have never been physically harmed by one but
weighting up to a ton they are threating to say the least. Each time I 
have
yelled at them and they have left."

I've never had a problem but didn't SeaKayaker have an article on 
aggressive seals in the Texada Island area? I like the little buggers and 
the big ones too but intimate contact is not what I'm looking for. Duane 
Strosacker has a great photo on his website of a small seal on his deck. 
Small is OK. over 500 pounds, no I don't think so. I used to paddle off 
Sausilito, Ca, a starting point, and there was a small sealion colony 
there that regularly did the under the boat pass, with a great fishy 
exhalation at your face as they came up 2 feet away. Never a problem. 
There was however, one old boy there that I never saw in the water. He'd 
just hang out on an old concrete structure and watch. Huge beast with a 
face that looked liked he ran into a steel hull going about 40 mph. I 
swear he looked just like a huge beat up bulldog. It got to be a joke that 
if he ever condescended to get in the water, it was probably time for us 
to get out. No doubt about who was the boss there.
 
Kevin

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