Two enormous sea lions were caught on camera lounging on a small boat in Washington’s Puget Sound, leaving the vessel sitting dangerously low in the water. The unusual encounter happened in Eld Inlet near Olympia, Washington, in December 2019, where Joshua Phillips and a friend noticed an anchored boat that appeared strangely unbalanced.
As they approached, they discovered that the unexpected passengers were two massive sea lions. The animals appeared completely comfortable, even as their combined weight pushed the stern close to the water. The footage quickly spread online, attracting more than 1 million views within days.
The boat looked strange from a distance
Phillips was traveling by boat near The Evergreen State College when he noticed another vessel sitting unusually in Eld Inlet. At first, it was difficult to tell what was causing the boat to lean so heavily. As Phillips and his companion moved closer, the explanation became obvious. Two huge sea lions had climbed aboard and were using the small vessel as a resting platform.
One animal was stretched across the top of the boat’s small cabin while the other rested toward the stern. Their weight pushed the rear of the vessel noticeably downward, making it appear as though the boat might take on water. Phillips approached cautiously because he did not want to disturb the animals.
The sea lions refused to give up their seats
The remarkable part of the encounter was how relaxed the animals appeared. Video showed the pair looking toward Phillips as his boat approached, but neither appeared interested in abandoning its temporary resting place. Phillips, an experienced outdoorsman who had previously encountered whales and other marine wildlife, said he had never seen anything quite like it.
Their choice of resting place was not completely out of character for sea lions. These marine mammals regularly leave the water to rest on beaches, rocks, docks and other structures. In this case, however, the available platform happened to be a relatively small boat that was clearly struggling under the weight of its oversized passengers.
A third sea lion tried to climb aboard
The situation became even more unusual when another recording captured the scene from shore. That footage showed a third sea lion swimming around the occupied vessel and apparently trying to climb aboard. The 2 animals already on the boat did not appear willing to make room for another passenger.
That may have been fortunate for the boat. The 2 animals already aboard had pushed part of the vessel close to the waterline. Sea lions found around Puget Sound can become exceptionally large, particularly adult males, so adding another large animal could have placed even more stress on the small craft.
Sea lions can weigh hundreds of pounds
Two sea lion species occur in the broader Puget Sound region: California sea lions and Steller sea lions. Adult male California sea lions can weigh hundreds of pounds, while male Steller sea lions are considerably larger and can exceed 2,000 pounds. The exact species of the animals in the viral footage was not definitively established in the reporting reviewed here.
That uncertainty matters because estimating their combined weight from video alone would be unreliable. What the footage clearly demonstrates is that the animals were heavy enough to dramatically change how the small boat sat in the water. The stern dipped downward while the sea lions remained apparently unconcerned about their unconventional resting spot.
The video quickly went viral
Phillips posted footage of the encounter on Instagram on December 17, 2019. Within roughly 2 days, the video had reportedly accumulated more than 1 million views, turning the resting sea lions into an unexpected viral attraction.
Part of the video’s appeal was the contrast between the enormous animals and the undersized vessel supporting them. Instead of swimming away when another boat approached, the pair simply remained aboard. Phillips later recalled that he and his friend initially knew only that something about the boat looked wrong before realizing that 2 massive animals were responsible.
The boat survived its unexpected passengers
Despite appearances, reports indicate that the small boat did not ultimately sink. Later reporting said the owner recovered it after the encounter. The sea lions reportedly left behind dirt and waste, while the boat sustained damage that included a bent boom and a crack in the roof.
The encounter nevertheless offers an extraordinary example of what can happen when large marine mammals decide that human equipment makes a convenient resting platform. For people encountering sea lions around boats or docks, the safer approach is to give the animals space rather than trying to move them personally. In this case, keeping a distance also allowed Phillips to capture a remarkable wildlife moment without interfering with the animals.
Featured Image: “Sea Lion on Boat” by GuudGrf is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
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