How impressive can contact be!!!

3 mei 2017 - San Cristóbal, Ecuador

The night on our first Island San Cristobal…
THE island for meeting seals and sealions, they all gather for the night. Here on a part of the fenced beach where humans can't get to them.
Calf cry for their moms and by replies they find each other, embrace eachother woth their fins. So sweet so intense <3
And of course there is always a big male watching over them.
While I was shooting pics and making cellphone videos I noticed a soft roar on my right, coming from the beach.

I gazed with eyes wide open when I heard it again. At that moment Jaap was lovingly looking at a mommy feeding her baby.
I stuttered softly that Jaap should look to his right… I was confused!
This big male was coming towards him, curious and moaning softly.
What made the big male so curious to come Jaap's way???
As far as I know the visibility of seals/sealions is just a few centimetres/inches?!

It lifted his head a couple of times, making soft noises, while Jaap gently said hi. After a minute or 2 the hormones showed up, or it was trying to show it's fearless? Or maybe the sealion wanted to fool around?
He inhailed very deep, lifting it's chest… And released his breath wit a big 'Boo' getting near to Jaap's stomach.

Since we weren't sure how to take it, we assumed this was a defense mode of territory behaviour so we said goodbye and moved on.

Deze foto werd gemaakt op 3 mei 2017 in San Cristóbal, Ecuador met een Lg Electronics LG-D855.