Meeting a Sleeping Sea Lion

Sea Lions are big.  Adult male California Sea Lions on average weigh 300kg and can grow to 8 feet long.  Imagine sitting on a dock and watching as an adult sleeping Sea Lion drifts by.  He's ten feet away, floating on his back with flippers and head above the water, completely ignoring your presence.

That's the background to this picture.  It was raining lightly on a very calm day when one of our resident Sea Lions decided to spend a couple of hours snoozing in the bay.  Hoping that I might get a picture I parked myself on the dock and waited.  He drifted with the current and controlled his position by slowly sculling with a forward flipper whenever he got too far out or too close to shore. 

Over time he slowly drifted closer to my position on the dock.  He knew that I was there, but being 600 pounds and in his element, he obviously felt that there was no need to lose any sleep over a person sitting in the rain on a dock.  

Finally he drifted closer, coming within a few feet of the dock.  I got down low and took a few shots.  I think this one best captures the tranquility and joy that comes with having the biggest water bed in the world.