Puppy Dogs of the Sea

*Melissa*

It hurts to move. It hurts to sleep. It hurts to sit still. My neck, my back, my arms, my abs, my KNEE – It’s hard to name a body part that doesn’t hurt. But you’re sadly mistaken if you think my Birthday fun stopped there!! Oh no – a brutal war was waging between our eyelids and our lust for adventure the next morning, as we awoke early to make it to our “swimming with sea lions” boat.

We were the last ones on, and probably looked the roughest, but we settled in to our seats. We set off, not really prepared for the 1.5 hours ride it would be before arriving near the island we were destined for. We learned rather quickly that we are not exactly made out for sea-faring – not to mention that every lump and bump we hit sent shivers of pain through my whole neck thanks to my kiteboarding whiplash.

With grey faces, the boat finally slowed, and stopped by the Hopkins Island – the “juvenile” sea lion island. Immediately we spotted some sea lions wandering into the water, and before we knew it they were splashing by the boat – obviously knowing that some “playmates” had arrived for them. Everyone jumped happily into the freezing cold waters to humor them.

Sea lions are not seals – sea lions look like puppy dogs, and have those puppy dog eyes to go along with it. They would swim up next to you, blow a few bubbles to say hello, and dart off – checking behind to see if you were following them. Occasionally they would swim below you, upside down, watching you, before settling in the seaweed to watch you. They were absolutely adorable, and it was amazing to have these truly wild creatures come up and interact with us like that, completely unprompted!

The ride back was a rough one – especially for Chad, who spent the whole 1.5 hours standing at the back of the boat, trying to stay composed. We hadn’t eaten breakfast, and thanks to our faulty sea-legs, we hadn’t eaten much on the trip over, so luckily the ride remained uneventful.

We had a brief break back at our hotel in the marina to nibble on some snacks and drink some non-salt water before we returned for the second leg of our adventure – the Tuna!