Harbour seal behavior Q

[drbill]

The harbor seals here in SoCal (at least in my experience) tend to be more wary and less playful than elsewhere. However what you describe sounds like play behavior, and I've experienced it both here and elsewhere... usually with the younger harbor seals. The same thing goes for California sea lions... I rarely have true interactions with them here in our waters, just swim bys. However elsewhere, like at Los Islotes in the Gulf of California, they are almost a nuisance with their playful nips on fins, wetsuits and BCDs. They also steal snorkels, which was a reason I stopped diving with one.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Well, taking away the spears, knives, and what not, I think a diver in the water must be a pretty sorry sight for a streamlined, purpose-built seal. We fumble around at a snail's pace blowing bubbles every few seconds, it takes us 10 seconds to make a u-turn, are oblivious to anything not directly above us. Divers are probably the ideal thing for curious juveniles to mess with down there.

... unless you're on a scooter, in which case you get to "upgrade" to sea lions ... here's a clip of me and a couple friends playing with one ...

YouTube - 3 + 1 at Alki Reef

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[mikemill]

Good morning Lynne

I felt it was play/curiosity activity but wanted to be sure I wasn't anthropromorphizing.
It is interesting that one species would sneak up on another species and tug at its fin. How would it know I wouldn't turn around and attack it or see it as prey? The foolishness of youth perhaps. I wonder if young seals mistake us for other seals/sea lions or see us as non threatening extraspecies playmates.

The adults know that divers are safe and like to send the young in to mess with us. It is all part of their fiendish plans.

 

[DaleC]

You've been adopted, Dale ... I've had similar encounters. In fact, those experiences are thrilling at first ... but after a while you just wish the little bugger would go bother someone else.

Hah ha, you may be right there Bob.
This all occured at my favorate old bottle spot and I dropped two old coke bottles playing with it. I don't mind hijinx but I've got a business to run

Nice stories BTW. You've got some nice pics on your site there.

 

[RoyN]

I personally just leave them alone. They may tug on my fin but the one time this guy came up and started chewing on my head and hood was where I said play time is over, I'm outta here!

 

[mikeyjoe]

NWgratefuldiver - what an awsome video of a remarkable experience.

The whole video was cool, but my favourite part was when he/she, about 4 mins in, just laid on the bottom and looked up at you for almost 45 seconds, just like your dog at home would.

How'd you keep your reg from flooding - you must have been smiling from ear to ear????

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

NWgratefuldiver - what an awsome video of a remarkable experience.

The whole video was cool, but my favourite part was when he/she, about 4 mins in, just laid on the bottom and looked up at you for almost 45 seconds, just like your dog at home would.

How'd you keep your reg from flooding - you must have been smiling from ear to ear????

It was an amazing experience. When he laid down like that I had to seriously resist the urge to reach down and pet him. You can briefly (in the video) see me close in ... then when I realized that his eye was the size of my palm I had to remind myself that this is basically an underwater bear ... and I have no idea what his behavior means to HIM ... or what mine might. So I backed off a respectful distance.

We had a 16 minute scooter ride from the dive site back to our exit ... and he stayed with us the whole way back.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

That's the same way I felt about the monk seal on Maui. Everything looked like he was seriously inviting us to play, but I realized I don't speak seal -- I can read body language and cues on dogs, cats and horses, but not on seals. He had very big teeth.

 

[MarkH]

Back when I used to dive in the Vancouver area, I'd always have seals tugging on my fins and giving me things (they'd swim up and drop an object in front of me). One seal dropped a sea cucumber in front of me and when I ignored it, it would pick it up and drop it again. Finally, I grabbed the cucumber as it was floating down and "threw" it to the side. The seal grabbed it and brought it back to me. It was exactly like a dog playing fetch. Most of my seal encounters were at Whytecliff and Kelvin Grove. Now that I live in Victoria, I find that the harbour seals here are much more timid and I rarely see them underwater. Instead we get California and Steller's sealions wanting to interact. They probably don't get as much cooperation from divers though. Unlike "puppy" harbour seals, I dont know if I'd encourage play with a "grizzly" Steller.

 

[b1gcountry]

What's bigger, a Sea Lion, or a Harbor Seal?