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Sea lion vs my kayak: Lion 1 - Okanagan 0

Started by Okanagan, August 22, 2015, 11:20:01 AM

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Okanagan

Fishing salmon from kayak- inlet off Nootka Sound.  Sprained wrist unloading boat, painful to paddle.    Sea lion (Stellar's sea lion I think) harassed me closer and closer for nearly half an hour.  Youngish bull I'd guess, at least 800 lbs. (prob. well over 1000 lbs.)   He would surface, blow at me, then open his huge dog like mouth to show me his teeth and tonsils in what the internet says is a threat display.  Felt like a threat to me! 

Then he would roll over slowly onto his back as he sank, teeth showing all the way.  He would dive just barely under the surface in the clear water and make a circle around me ten yards out underwater, and somewhere in the circuit he would turn and swim straight toward my kayak, diving a bit deeper to maybe 4 feet as he went under.   

As he got closer and more aggressive I would yell at him, slap at him or poke at him with the paddle.  Finally he was speeding up the sequence of blowing etc. and was coming up within 7 feet.  He started coming up only behind me, really close, and with my painful wrist I could not turn the boat quickly.  Scary.   By then wind had pushed me near the mouth of a small river so I paddled up the estuary and he quit following me when we broke onto the shallow shelf.  I beached on shore 100 yards up the river mouth, walked around awhile, retied some fishing gear.

To get away I paddled nearly a mile angling across the inlet to my vehicle off a logging road and didn't see him again.   There is a resort there where only bears used to roam the shore.  (Good chef in the restaurant!)  I told them about the sea lion and they said that I am the third report this week, though with the others he just chased swimmers out the instant they jumped off the dock. 

I was really afraid of the big dude, and if I'd had a firearm I would have killed him when he got inside of 8 feet.  He was 8 or nine feet long, lots of blond color.

Didn't have my camera in the boat.  Doggone.  Looking up info online, he may have been protecting his territory.  If I'd paddled quickly away from the area he might have left me alone, much like a mama black bear warns people to leave and get away from her.  Pure guess.  When he first started, I wondered if the repeated actions and postures were threat or if they were mating ritual and he wanted to mate with my orangey yellow kayak!

Dale

I don't tolerate intimidation well myself, I'm with you, he'd a gotten himself ventilated when he got to close...

are you planning on going back again and giving him a chance to apologize for his bad behavior?...  :iroll:
when you step out of the truck you become part of the food chain...

Okanagan

Quote from: Dale on August 22, 2015, 12:47:11 PM
I don't tolerate intimidation well myself, I'm with you, he'd a gotten himself ventilated when he got to close...

are you planning on going back again and giving him a chance to apologize for his bad behavior?...  :iroll:

Probably not, though when an animal keeps up such aggression I tend to get angry as well as afraid.  :wo: It's a long trip, not far in distance but with summer ferry line-ups, slow dusty logging roads it takes longer than I'll probably do again this summer.   I'll try to find an internet pic of a Stellar sea lion.   I've heard there is a $1500 fine for killing one.   :shrug: 


Okanagan

Some of these may be California sea lions rather than Steller.  Not much difference.






riverboss

That looks like a world of hurt on a kayak.  Glad your safe and had no issues.

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Hawks Feather

Quote from: Okanagan on August 22, 2015, 01:54:41 PM
[I've heard there is a $1500 fine for killing one.   :shrug:

I don't think that sounds like much fun at all.  But the real question is, "Is there a fine for the sea lion if it kills you?" 

Jerry

JohnP

He got a fine set of teeth on him and he's big enough to do some serious damage.  Had that been be in the kayak you would have seen some fancy water walking or should I say running.
When they come for mine they better bring theirs

nastygunz

#7
I am pretty sure I would've put that kayak up on plane  as I was escaping :yoyo:

The last one with the big set of dentures I do believe is a leopard seal, highly predatory and will absolutely attack a man :

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_seal

Dave

Damn!  That would definitely get the adrenaline flowing! 
What would Chief Brody say - "You're gonna need a bigger boat!"

Okanagan

Quote from: Dave on August 23, 2015, 06:26:57 AM
Damn!  That would definitely get the adrenaline flowing! 
What would Chief Brody say - "You're gonna need a bigger boat!"

:laf:

Nasty, I think you are right about that being a leopard seal.  The pic was mixed in with a bunch of photos purported to be sea lions, but it doesn't look like one to me.  I put it in for the teeth factor, natch!

But when a thousand pound sea lion opens his mouth wide inside of 8 feet, there are a lot of big teeth showing!  A sea lion head and mouth is more like a huge dog than anything else I can compare it to.


Hawks Feather

I like sea lions.  When they are in the zoo or well out of my range of danger.   That Leopard Seal is one that I have seen a few times on animal shows and it is just a mean, nasty, killing machine.

Jerry

FinsnFur

Thats kinda eery that there were other reports from folks saying the same thing. Yah that'd be a good place to steer clear of. lol :laf:
I'm glad ya made it out moderately unscathed.
What made ya think he wanted to love up on your kayak on not you though? I'm jis sayin :shrug: :laf:
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Carolina Coyote

Yea that thing could have destroyed a Kayak, fortunely you were smart enough to get out of his territory. Glad you are safe.

Coulter

Damn! I miss my sea kayak...but then again we don't have sea lions here on the Great Lakes. :wo: Or anything else that will cause bodily injury aside from jet ski's and big boats!

Steve

pitw

Dang, that would be super cool.  Scary as [L] but super cool. Could you teach them to pull the yak?
I say what I think not think what I say.

HaMeR

Quote from: pitw on August 31, 2015, 10:07:55 PM
Dang, that would be super cool.  Scary as [L] but super cool. Could you teach them to pull the yak?

Might be a good idea unless they like to dive to de

                                                                                     ep

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Glen

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2014-15 TBC-- 11

Okanagan

Quote from: pitw on August 31, 2015, 10:07:55 PM
Dang, that would be super cool.  Scary as [L] but super cool. Could you teach them to pull the yak?

That is a brilliant idea as well as a great joke!  They are smart enough animals and I'll bet it could be done.