Just found this topic.
I'm a little late but I was wondering the same thing about sea-lions last Jan. when I was retrieving ducks on Adak I.. I had some close encounters under the kayak. I tried to stick to shallow water but once in a while I had to paddle way out to get a downed bird. It was kinda spooky but in the end no problems. They were big, I think Steller's Sea Lions maybe? Gnarly kayaking out there too say the least. Sorry for the late reply.