SAN SIMEON: An Elephant Seal's Delight Part One

Filed in archive on July 30, 2006

San Simeon. Crisp, fresh Pacific air floating in just ahead of a looming fog bank. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the clear skies, elephant seals flop about, falling in and out of deep slumber. This is the gateway to the southern end of Big Sur, and it is a wonderful place to observe these amazingly humongous creatures as they rest along the picturesque shores.




Lapping the coastal tide pools rich with kelp beds is a turquoise clear blue ocean, bathing the clusters of echinoderm with salty whitewater. Occasionally a long period wave will make it through the maze of rocks and reefs and bull kelp strong as PCP piping, actually breaking on top of the lazy and irritable elephant seals.

This can cause an outburst of guttural barking that echoes from a breathing chamber capable of taking these air-breathing sea mammals to depths as incredible as 5,000 feet!

When you see them on land, basking in the sun, barely moving a flipper, with an occasional burp or loud gaseous release, these massive guys don't seem to be the kind of animal that would be cruising around at torpedo range.

ER Harris