Are you always looking around you... looking for the unusual? If not, you may be missing something nearby. I was photographing surfers at Beacons, a local surf spot in Leucadia,
a beach community located in the coastal city of Encinitas, California, when I saw a large lump of something down the beach. So I moved down along the beach and saw this large female sea lion enjoying the spring summer warmth and sunshine. The sea lion are sea mammals characterized by external ear flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short, thick hair.
Soon, she became the object of the curious. As surfers emerged from the water, they couldn't help but check her out. One young lady decided to lay down and emulate the movements of the large beast. I noticed that when a male passed by she would rear up and "bark." Not so with the female human; she tended to ignore them.
So eventually, after taking lots of pictures because I've never seen a sea lion up in this area, I ignored her and hoped she would find peace among the humans sharing her natural habitat.
