The Magazine of The Sierra Club
Doomed Romance Between Seal and Kayak
A love-starved seal is assaulting my husband's kayak! What should I do?
My husband, Evan, and I are both experienced sea kayakers. On a trip in British Columbia's Blackfish Sound, we were prepared: We had double-checked the charts to avoid underwater obstructions and were steering clear of the strongest afternoon breezes. But not all hazards are charted.
We carefully timed our passage through the islands in the village group to catch the current. All was going well until Evan hit something hard.
It turned out to be a large seal that had taken an apparently amorous interest in Evan's boat. At first we thought it was hilarious.
Then we started to worry that the seal could capsize Evan's heavily laden kayak by rubbing up against it. We tried outracing his suitor, to no avail.
Finally, I tried to distract the seal by banging on the side of my boat, giving Evan a chance to escape. It worked, but just barely. What else could we have done?
This article appeared in the November/December 2017 edition with the headline "Seal Loves Kayakers."
Ask the Expert
Paul Cottrell is the Pacific marine mammal coordinator for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
"Harbor seals are rarely so aggressive in B.C. waters. This was likely a young seal, which are more prone to such behaviors. Making noise by banging the kayak or slapping the water will often persuade the animal to move on. In this case, the kayakers made the right move."
