Friday Thomas and I went down to the beach near our house for a little play date with Whitney and Daliah. Shortly after we arrived we saw yellow tape and people starting to look “in” the yellow tape. 
We headed over and I started to chat up the seal sitter and find out what was going on and if Mr. Seal was o.k.
Mr. Seal was a young elephant seal who was molting. Seals endure catastrophic molts, where they shed their entire shin/hair layer before regenerating a new one. This process is exhausting and can take up to a month, in which the seals do not eat and are a little cranky.
Elephant seals spend most of their time in the water and are typically only seen on shore for 2 things: breeding and molting. Another fun fact was that although it is somewhat common to see harbor seals in our area, elephant seals are not very common in the area (they stick to California).
So after a little watching the seal and as more people came the seal decided that the location he had picked to be uncomfortable and molt was not suitable and he was back in the water to find someplace that could accommodate him better. We hope Mr. Seal has safe travels and a long and healthy life.
What a cool experience and also a reminder that we are in a whole new area with new adventures. It was also a reminder that I need to bring along a good camera because I wish I would have had it today…my iPhone just doesn’t do Mr. Seal justice!
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