On a kayak, we had all the marine life we wanted - all to ourselves. We scanned the mazes of seaweed, trying to distinguish between driftwood and resting otters. They bundle themselves in kelp beds, endlessly somersaulting for warmth. It's easy to mistake an otter for a floating log and paddle too close. People and boats are required by law to stay at least 50 feet away from the animals.
Harbor seals, on the other hand, tend to break the rules.
One gave me a start when it suddenly surfaced at our bow. The seal lowered its dog-like face to water level and huffed and snorted the sea air. White and gray spots speckled its coal-colored pelt. Thick whiskers sprung from below its sunken, black eyes - which I swore locked with mine. Prehistoric-looking pelicans flew in twos or more, buzzing the ocean with their bellies.