I can see I`m not the only one who has run into sea lion`s that seemed aggresive. I`ve had them come very close and slap the water but never any physical contact. It is an unnerving feeling. I just try to paddle away from them. I wonder if any experianced kayakers have any good advice on techniques to stay out of trouble with the beasts of the deep.

Randy,you are right to be leary of those critters. Most of them are shy enough to not bother you, but it only takes one big bull that's in a bad mood to ruin your day.

Lately, on the Columbia I've noticed that some of the seals have developed a new curiosity about boaters. The smaller seals used to go the other way when I got near them, but now, some of them come right at me. I think some boaters might be feeding them, or they've figured out that there might be a chance to pick up an easy fish. Some of the fishermen I've talked to have had seals remove a fish from their line, without so much as a thank you.

I always feel more comfortable when the sea lions are occupied somewhere other than where I am. As you indicated, it can cause you to almost spill your bladder when one of those buggers comes up next to you and thrashes the water, even if it is only because he was startled by your presence.

Heck ya mag,its kinda like hiking down the trail and fluching a covey of Grouse. Very startling, only in the water it remains alot more spooky. Especialy when they go under and keep coming back. How you doing today? :I`m working all day

I think Sea Lions and Kayakers are both happier if we leave each other alone! What rational reason can there be for getting close a wild animal that weighs more than you and your kayak put together? A photo op? Sorry not worth it.
I give any animal larger than me the right of way.

Its a little tricky to do that when they pop up ten feet away. And they sometime`s don`t look like they have love in thier eye. Obviously the goal is to give them room, not get close to them. the Question in this thread is, does anyone know any good teqnique`s besides the obvious paddling away.

I tend to avoid eye contact & scram if I see one. I once saw a 20 foot boat with its transom missing towed into Friday Harbor. A sea lion was responsible by jumping up on the back of the boat. The beligerant owner wanted to know who was responsible for that animal!?! Some one in thecrowd yelled,"YOU ARE!"
Imagine being in the water with one of them/

My brother-in-law and I were kayaking on the Cowlitz a couple days ago and had a seal go right between us at about a hundred miles an hour. At least I think it was a seal; it was below the surface, so all we saw was its wake. It was like a torpedoe and I had to wonder what it would have felt like if it had hit my kayak. I was kind of glad that I was in my Loon and not my sea kayak.

On one hand, I've read about swimmers getting bitten by sealions, and they're certainly intimidating, especially when they swim rapidly under your kayak and make contact with the bottom of the hull.

On the other hand, I recently saw a video of a scuba diver who went diving with them! The sealions looked like they were trying to tear him apart, but he was fine, he explained, "Sea lions are like dogs, they don't have hands, they ask questions with their teeth. So when you see 4 sea lions all teething my flipper, although it looks bad, in fact it isnt, they're just intelligent and curious animals who want to investigate something they're never seen before, I had to hold onto my mask when they started teething it, of course, but these are huge, powerfull animals that could have torn me limb from limb in an instant, nevertheless, I was fine, no damage to me or me gear at all".

I think they're intelligent enough that you might have certain individuals who develop aggressive behaviour patterns just like certain people do, but in general they're more curious than hostile.

Still, it's easy to be intimidated by them, isn't it? I know I am.

I been diving with both sea lions and seals it's not scary in general and usually a lot of fun. Harbor seals are very shy and usually only try to sneak up behind you. Sea lions are the opposite, they will get right in your face; doing acrobatics and swimming circles around you. Usually it’s the females and juveniles who interact with divers; I’ve only been diving with a bull once.

Most marine life is not there to attack you. Sea lions will become aggressive when trying to steal your fish, if you get too close to their territory on shore, or juveniles swimming in the nursery, otherwise they are probably just curious. Of course, they are wild animals and you might run into one on a bad day. Remember kayakers are coming into close proximity with sea lions on a daily basis on the West Coast, how many attacks have been reported?

Ralph

Dangerous!

I don't care what anyone thinks, an animal that weighs more than a car and can swim faster than Mark Phelps is a menace when they come up our rivers. They belong in the ocean--period. At least there the fish have a chance. In rivers like the Columbia, it is a killing ground (water) for the sea lions that decimate our fish runs.

The ignorant environmentalists who think that the seals and sea lions are just making a living have most likely not witnessed a pod of sea lions tearing fish apart, just for the fun of it when they've got their bellies full.

While attacks by sea lions may be rare, they are far from being unheard of and I think they will become more frequent as the animals become more familiar with people and the little boats we paddle. Just a few years ago, it was rare to see a seal, or sea lion up close. They were very shy and would go out of their way to stay clear. In the past few years the sea lions and seals have become very curious and now will go out of their way to check you out. I've had them follow me for some distances and a lot closer than I felt comfortable with. They most likely aren't contemplating any kind of attack, but they just might want to have a closer look at your kayak. I've seen pictures of small seals sitting on the bow of a kayak. I don't know about you, but I don't want a 3000 lb sea lion resting on any of my boats.

This might seem extreme to some, but I think the natural balance was much better when the commercial fishermen used to instill fear in the beasts when they came up the river and messed around with their nets.

A little update about water lions; a labrador retriever was killed by a sea lion when it went after a stick that its owner had thrown in the river (Columbia). It just happens that where this occured is where I launch all the time.

Magooch, what is the evidence for your statement that sea lions belong (only) in the ocean? Who was on the river first--people or sea lions? Did God make sea lions and put them where they are? But I'm glad you made it clear that you don't care what anybody thinks.

Yeah, well God made wolves and bears and all kinds of other creatures too and I don't think man has to defer to their so-called rights either. God also made man and gave us dominion over all creatures.

Until you've been here and witnessed the wanton destruction and decimation of our fish and worse--the spooking of kayakers, I think you should reserve your criticism.

As to the argument about who was there first; when I was a kid, you had to go to the ocean to see a sea lion. And back in those days, they had a natural fear of man. Today they don't.

I don't want to share my backyard with a grizzly bear and I don't want to share the local rivers with 3000 lb. beasts. The courts have seen fit to allow up to 85 of these things to be destroyed each year. There are thousands of local fishermen that think that number should be 850, or more.

I'm pretty sure if you had to deal with thousands of agressive sharks, or aligators in the waters where you kayak you might be a little more sympathetic to what we have to put up with.

This thread seems to be getting a bit off-track. That being said, it should be noted that in the natural course of things sea lions eat very little salmon. Salmon are fast, hard to catch and bottom fish are easier. Sea lions can catch a lot of salmon only when humans put barriers in the way of salmon migration. Barriers such as dams or nets.

Sea lions are intelligent and adaptable, that goes with being a large predator. They will feed from any source they can find. For humans to argue about what is "natural" for a sea lion and then insist that the sea lions confine themselves to just that behavior is a bit silly!

I like salmon and sea lions and am not really sure what I would like to see done. One thought does intrude; if we were so concerned about the survial of salmon we would not have built the dams in the first place.