I’ve come across a lot of seals on my cleanup dives,
but I definitely have a few favorite encounters.
I can always recognize Sylvester by the small
white line between his eyes.
He’ll come out and grab my fins and wetsuit
because he’s curious about the texture of them.
After tapping at my fins, he’ll swim away.
Snowy has a lighter coat,
so she’s super easy to identify because she glows underwater.
She floats up to me like a glowing orb
and is very gentle with how she approaches me.
Snowy will wrap herself in the kelp,
and when it’s time to sleep,
she’ll float upside down like a bat.
Pearl is a sneaky one. She’ll follow me from behind,
and when I turn around, she’ll pretend like she’s not interested.
But then when she gets curious,
she’ll sneak attack me and she’ll want to boot my camera.
It is important to remember
not to mistake their curiosity for friendliness.
They are wild animals and you cannot touch your pet seals
since they are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Once the seals are done checking me out,
it’s time to collect some trash.
I call this the ocean tax.
It’s the least I can do to make Sylvester,
snowy, and pearls home.
A safe and healthy environment for them to thrive in.