Seal Walk
Ano Nuevo State Reserve is 20 miles north of Santa Cruz on on Hwy 1. If you
have a reservation to see the seals, I highly recommend arriving on time. If you
are late, they will leave without you.
On the day we were there, the seal census was 1302 females, 255 males, and 1024
pups. A lot of them were out on the island, but we got to see several larger
groups (harems - 1 male, up to 50 females, and their pups) as well as a bunch of
bachelors and weaners (pups who have been weaned) laying about by themselves. We
were told to stay at least 25 feet from the seals. It turns out that they can
travel that distance in a few seconds, but then they collapse and have to gather
their strength to sprint again. Good to know. Most of the seals we saw looked
near comatose and none seemed to care that we were there at all. Nature cares
not for the puny humans.
And puny we were next to these giant elephant seals. The males weigh about 3000
lbs, the females over 1000. When the pups are born, they weigh about 80 lbs, but
after one month of feeding, they plump up to 300. Oddly enough, the seals don't
eat while they are on land, so they lose a lot a weight while they're here. They
still looked like giant, fuzzy brown slugs to me. Yep, they are big tubes of fat
with flippers and beautiful, liquid black eyes.
One pup lay in a puddle on his back, wiggling around a bit, and lifting his head
to look at us. He'd scratch his armpit with the claws at the end of his flipper
then settle back into his puddle. It was terribly cute.
On the other hand, I heard other groups were treated to graphic displays of
mating and fight amongst the elders. Do remember that this is raw nature, up
close and personal. It can be beautiful, cruel, disgusting, and heartwarming by
turns.
Our walk was about 3 miles long. Comfortable shoes are a must. The terrain
includes paved trails, gravelly bits, and walking over dunes and packed sand. I
took notes on all kinds of facts about lifecycle, eating habits, history, and
geography, but really you should go and hear it from the docents yourself.
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