April 23, 2016
The cove sits at the base of a steep ravine full of mossy rocks and thick forest. Its inner area is a celadon green pool, with large black rocks at its head. Here, we found four baby fur seals cavorting in the water. Their parents were nowhere to be seen, probably out hunting for food.
We cut the engine and padded in, and the pups, incredibly curious yet understandably cautious, stuck their heads up to check us out. We sat quietly, and when they decided we were OK, they swam over to our dinghy. They played around us for a bit, then something startled them and they darted back to shore. When they decided it was all clear again, they came back out to play, then once again got startled and swam back to shore.
The third time they came out, they were more comfortable and began swimming dreamily around our dinghy. (Below a gallery of photos from the cove–click to enlarge/scroll–and a video.)
This whole scene: the surreal beauty of the cove, the quiet stillness, and the baby fur seals, was like something out of a dream world. We sat still, wanting the moment to last as long as possible. Inevitably, they got excited again, jumping away towards shore. Sadly, it was time for us to go.
We turned and silently headed back out through the lagoon. Reaching the outer bay, we saw the wind had picked up. It was a long bumpy ride back to our boat, during which we nervously watched Legacy as she was pitching and rolling quite a bit. The front was arriving and it was time to head to a protected area: Torrent Bay just south of us. –Cyndi
