We went ashore at a sandy beach and several sea lions swam over to investigate this curious contingent of amphibious creatures. We donned our life vests and got into the kayaks, surely appearing like orange-breasted, flat-bottomed creatures and probably disappointingly clumsy compared to the streamlined sea lions. They swam circles around us, often appearing in small gangs that approached close enough to periscope us and sometimes splash us yet never allowing us a moment of approach toward them. We paddled gently, watching their antics and listening to their constant commotion of barks and growls.
The morning passed swiftly as everyone took a turn with the animals. When finally, we couldn't put lunch off any longer, we began our return to our own Sea Lion. As the last Zodiac left the beach bound for the ship, a small group of the animals surfaced and dove repeatedly behind us as our final farewell to an extraordinary morning's encounter.
