Young seals arrive for haul-out

 Respite between migrations

Seals arrive daily on the beach at Piedras Blancas. They are young, not yet breeding age, males and females. It’s the Fall Haul-Out. They’ll continue arriving through October. Most are males. Females mature into breeding age sooner than males, so young females have already joined the adult population.

As quiet as these young seals are at this time of year, they masquerade as simply resting on the beach. That modest demeanor conceals their success at the extremes of life. They are “exceptional, superlative, extremophiles,” says researcher Burney Le Boeuf in his book, Elephant Seals: Pushing the Limits on Land and at Sea.

These seals are resting between their two annual migrations: from April to October, and from November to April. When they leave in November, they will migrate north and west, feeding and growing. They’ll be back in April, time for their annual molt.

Long time, no food

These young seals don’t eat for the four to six weeks they are on the beach during this autumn retreat. They aren’t starving. Their metabolism switches from converting food into energy and blubber to using that blubber to meet their needs for food and water.

The beach is relatively quiet, stirred occasionally by two young males testing their dominance against each other.

Most of the juveniles will return to the ocean, to continue feeding and growing, before the adults take over the beach for breeding season, although some stragglers stay around. Perhaps they are gaining insight into the adult world they will soon join. Adult bulls begin arriving around Thanksgiving for that. Pregnant females arrive soon after. The first pup of the season is typically born in mid- to late December. Mark your calendar.

These young seals are growing into their eventual migration patterns. Males migrate north along the continental shelf, feeding on the bottom. Females migrate to the open ocean, feeding on small fish in the mesopelagic layer. 

On land only briefly

You may see seals holding their breath even while they are sleeping on land. They are accustomed to holding their breath for 20 to 30 minutes in the ocean. They spend 90 percent of their lives at sea, underwater. When they’re out at sea, they come to the surface only for a minute or two to breathe, then dive down again. They withstand the pressure changes from the surface to as much as 5,000 feet, and back up again.

Superheroes!

Other viewpoints

Walk north along the boardwalk, or park in the north parking lot and walk out along the Boucher Trail. It’s about two miles of easy walk, with several additional places to look down on seals on the beach.

The trail leads to the Piedras Blancas Light Station, but to tour that, you have to make a reservation. 

Notice that the original light is missing from the top of the lighthouse. The light and its Fresnel lens are on display in Cambria, next to the Vets Hall. Lions Pinedorado Foundation, the Coast Guard, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Piedras Blancas Light Station Association are working to preserve the lens and its enclosure, which is rusting out and in danger of collapse. After that is secured, the various groups and agencies will seek a path forward for a better permanent location for the lens.

Local newspaper coverage here.