Swimming with sea lions at Los Islotes: what to expect

The pups are the ones who come to you

Adults mostly ignore visitors. The ones who approach are the juveniles: they spiral around you, come at the camera, bite at your fins. It is play, not aggression.

The big males keep their space

You will see adult males up on the rocks. If one enters the water and comes at you head on, the guide will ask you to back off. Nothing happens if you follow the instruction; he is defending territory, not hunting.

How long you are in the water

We go in in small groups. Each turn lasts as long as the guide judges safe given the current and how the colony is behaving that day — usually twenty to forty minutes.

The rules

No touching, no feeding, no chasing, no flash. And no entry at all if authorities have closed the site for breeding season. These rules are the reason the colony is still there and still curious about people.

How good are the photos

Excellent if you have a waterproof camera with a wrist strap and accept in advance that half of them will be blurry. Sea lions do not pose.