Gulf Islands

As we cruised toward the sunny skies and warm temperatures of British Columbia's Gulf Islands, we saw an increasing number of harbor seals watching us with big eyes periscoped just above the water's surface. Late in the afternoon, we took a Zodiac cruise from Winter Cove on Saturna Island which brought us to several offshore rocks where dozens of seals were hauled out. They seemed complacent, as content with the warm day as we were. Some lifted their heads for big-eyed looks at us. Most ignored us entirely. We cruised slowly by, snapping photos, eyeing black oystercatchers patrolling the rocks, watching distant rocks become hauled-out seals as we approached to look more closely. At the furthest reach of our cruise, a large, male Steller's sea lion sat regally atop one rock, eyeing us carefully. He sat up on his foreflippers, distinguishing himself with his sea lion posture which separated him from the numerous pinniped cousins surrounding him. It was a rare close-up look at a magnificent endangered species and the climax of our Zodiac cruise.