In Reply to: Which one Seahunt?? And the dancing walrus is actually “disturbing” posted by Andy S on April 24, 2010 at 19:33:11:

Seahunt - Are you thinking of yourself as the woman in or as the elephant seal in the video in your 20s?
...... Uuhhhh, without getting too personally detailed, I think the women.... It made me think back to my
20's when I was at school or bumming around the San Mateo Coast on weekends. I wasn't a student of marine
mammals, but I was always seeing Elephant seals an the beaches near the rookery island of Ano Neuvo Island.
The video made me think of my times along the remote windy shores there and swimming through the water like I belonged in the sea. I would walk alone to the shore. I would stop walking when the dozing sea lions started
to raise their heads to look at me. It reminded me of the "butter balls" as I used to call the yearling sea
lions. They were about as fat as they were long. Those big eyes matched the size of their curiosity. Many
times they were my only companions as I hunted through the kelp forests or as I sat offshore after a day of
diving. They bark, I bark, they bark back. Sometimes I couldn't resist stopping and playing with those big
bags of curiosity. There eyes just get bigger and bigger. They are so fast they can circle a person before
they can turn. It reminded me of the years I spent exploring the sea and shore at Greyhound Rock, Pigeon
Point and Ano Neuvo on both sides of the main Elephant Seal rookery. I've seen many Elephant Seals where
they own the shore and water.... when the landlords there don't object.

I wasn't so interested in them, but I was happy when they were interested in me and came to visit. I saw
many sea mammals on their turf. I travel the sea with minimal disturbance. It's why when I swam with the
sea otters in Monterey, they ignored me... even when I managed to get in their way. I suppose I could argue
that the elephant seal I met at Greyhound Rock was exercising his sense of humor when he came by and buzzed
me. He knew where I was. He came by intentionally.

I sat quietly on so many remote shores, breathing the salt air, watching the birds and waves, while marveling
at the beauty I was so lucky to see. The sea lions and birds saw me as no threat, perhaps something of curiosity.
I never got in their space. If an elephant seal, particularly a young one like that in the video, had come to me
to say hello, I'd have probably let it cuddle and I would have laughed my self silly before thinking how blessed
I was and working to make the memory a permanently accessible treasure. Heck, I'd probably have encouraged it.

I saw penguins, but I never noticed any walruses.

Enjoy the diving, seahunt