Sailor gets a sea lion for a first mate!
Back in 2013, one lucky boater welcomed aboard a very charming passenger: a baby sea lion, swimming alone and tired and looking for a place to rest. At first, the baby just wanted to look out over the calm ocean, but after a while the baby became more confident and decided to cuddle up to the captain.
Cool find, Cheryl S.
Awwwwww. That little guy just wanted some head scritches.
He has a heart-shaped nosicle!! I think he was attracted to the guy’s hairy legs. 😋 Lucky people – that’s an experience of a lifetime.
Yes to both! I noticed about his nose too and I was thinking the hairy legs might remind him of mama a little bit. Ahh, sea lions, the dogs of the sea.
What a lovely experience for them all! I loved the way they were so careful to leave the baby as alone as they could, except for his one new buddy. Very sensitive to the baby’s needs!
Yes, that captain tried so hard not to accustom the baby to humans, so it would stay safe on its return to the seas. My hat is off to everyone on that team. It can’t be easy to face a situation like that one!
I think they must be very used to humans and their boats. I ran into a baby sea lion once, a bit bigger than this, on a little patch of sand. It was on the Atlantic coast, near a major port where private boats weren’t really allowed to go, as far as I could tell.
I tried to approach the exhausted fella, but he scurried back into the ocean before I could get close enough for a picture. Of course, it’s possible that he just didn’t like the look of me walking toward him at 7AM on a summer day and just wanted his privacy.
I’ve officially melted. What a wonderful experience.