Clumsy on land, but changing to graceful acrobats once in the ocean, a sea lion in the water is a magnificent sight. Their effortless twists, turns and porpoising through the water easily show why a sea lion is such a good underwater hunter.

Sea lions are highly social animals and groups of thousands can be seen congregating on rocky shores. They tend to hunt for fish on their own. Their dives can last up to 10 minutes and reach 26 to 98 metres in depth.

Males will fight for territory along the rocky shores where they will defend an area for the duration of the breeding season (May – Aug). A single pup is born after 12 months’ gestation. The mother will continue to feed her offspring for 6 months during which time the pup will have learned how to swim and to live within a sea lion community. More importantly, a pup will also be taught on how to avoid sea lion’s greatest enemies – sharks and killer whales.