I Fell in Love with a Sea Puppy!

I love puppies.

No, I don't think you understand - I LOVE puppies! SO much! I love to snuggle them, play bitey wrestling, chase, nose boops - I love them so much. Now, imagine playing with puppies - underwater!

Folks, that's a thing. Diving with sea lions is effectively diving with 1,000lb puppies!

They zoom. They nibble. They nose boop. They're curious. They swim circles around you. They try to steal your camera. They chew on your fins. They chew on your head. They get belly rubs. Butt scratches. They play with sea stars and seaweed. They chase each other around. They high five you. They are the very definition of a sea puppy.

Every year around this time, you get juvenile Steller Sea Lions following the herring run (puppies like snacks!). They're the largest of the eared seals (they have cute little ears!!), and they're absurdly curious little critters! Watching these little buddies underwater is quite the reminder that we are probably THE most ungraceful creatures the ocean has ever seen.

At Norris Rocks, you drop in at a depth of between 20-30ft, and wait. Funny thing about sea lions is that they will come check you out. We lucked out this past weekend - the moment we hit the water, we were swarmed by curious noses! There's no sense chasing them, you'll never catch up. They'll zoom towards you, then at the last second change direction and zoom away. Once they're used to you (literally five seconds after their initial zoom), they'll start poking at you with their noses. Extend a hand and see what happens. Sometimes they'll just nose you, sometimes they'll chew on you, and sometimes you can sneak in a little chin scratch! Don't be surprised if you feel something tugging on your fins, it's pretty common to gently look behind you and see half a dozen of them chewing on your flappy feet while their buddies giggle at you (I like to imagine they're laughing at me).

Don't dive? They will come see you at the surface too! They swim towards you with their noses in the air all goofy like, and they may sniff you and chew on you too! And sometimes, you get amazingly lucky, and you manage to give one a little nose smooch! I've always wanted to kiss a sea lion, this year I finally got to! Let it be known, they do have fish breath. Might be a deal-breaker for some.

Thinking of Diving with the Sea Puppies? Here are a few things to remember:

You are in their habitat. Don't be a jerk.

You're visiting these little buddies in their home. At the end of the day, they are wild animals, and can be unpredictable. Be aware of your surroundings, and don't tug on them or punch them. That's just rude.

Sea Lions LOVE Dangly Things. Streamline, Streamline, Streamline.

Make sure your octo and gauge are secured, and that you get rid of superfluous danglies from your gear. Unless you're strictly snorkeling at the surface, ditch the snorkel. It makes a great chew toy, and your mask will get dragged off your face when a sea lion inevitably decides to yoink your snorkel away.

Sea Lions Also Like Cameras. Especially Dome Ports.

They seem to like their reflections as much as we do. Makes for great pictures, but if you have a super fancy (expensive) dome port, watch out - they do like to bite them. Maybe go with a GoPro or something smaller. And make sure you have a lanyard on it. Again, makes a great chew toy!

It May Be Intimidating to Dive with these Buddies. Take it Slow.

If you feel intimidated by the puppies, no worries. Stick with your buddy, pause on the bottom for a few minutes, and see how you feel. It isn't for everyone, but if you give it a chance, you just might feel a connection looking into their big puppy eyes. Don't feel the need to interact with all of them. If you just sit there for a few minutes, that may make all the difference for you.

Don't Bother Chasing Them Around. You Can't Catch Them! I've found one of the best ways to get them to play with you is to just be neutral in the water, and slowwwwwly swim. You'll get the inevitable fin nibbles, then they just show up in front of you. I stick my hands out, and let them nose and nibble away. SO AWESOME!!!

Want to Try It? Give my buddies Sean and Shellie from UB Diving in Courtenay a ring! Tell them Sab sent you. They run charters out to Norris Rocks almost every weekend during January - March (when the puppies are plentiful and friendly!), and they will set you up!

If you do try it out, let me know how you like it! Send me an email with your feedback (and pictures if you'd like to share!)!

Hugs and fishes, and Happy Diving!

-Sab

#LocalDiving #BritishColumbia #DiveTravel #Wildlife #SaltWater #ColdWater