BARBARY COAST DIVERS NEWSLETTER

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Harbor Seal Haven - by Dan Schwartz

Part One Hopkins Reef

I took my kayak down the embankment down the usual spot where I put out to dive Hopkins Reef (Monterey). On my way back down from the car with by BC and wightbelt I noticed about 8 tourists had gathered to look out in the cove. There was a harbor seal and her baby playing in the shallows.

More tourists had gathered and I noticed more seals in the cove, plus a few otters.

Uh oh I thought , Marine Mammal Protection Act, I need to give them some room. I can't just go out and break up the bunch kayaking out, especially in front of all the tourists. I put the gear back in the car, went down, brought my board back up the cliff and scouted out for another launching site. I found one on the other side of the cove and put my board back on my car, re-parked and started the whole process over again.

 

I finally got to the reef. There were about 3 seals in the area so I was pretty stoked, hoping for some good shots and dropped .

 

I stayed in the kelp bed and waited for a seal to come close.

One of I saw another one that came closer and slowly swam around me .

When he or she got bored of checking me out I headed for deeper waters where I was out of the main kelp bed and in an area of small pinnacles. Going around one I saw another seal.

Viz was great, about 20 ft. in some spots up to 40 in others. There was no surge either. I finished my tank and headed up, finding a few more harbor seals on the surface. It was a fun dive.