The rocks the harbor seals are sitting atop are only exposed during low tide. They pile up on these rocks for a few reasons. Safety in numbers is one of them. With all the seals together, they can keep an eye out 360 degrees for possible threats. As I approached the rocky area the seals were gathered on, I was met by a few seals in the water. They shadowed my kayak at a distance, trying not to be seen. They would pop their head up out of the water, and if you looked at them, they would immediately make a big splash and dive down into the water. If these “security” seals thought I posed a threat, they would communicate back to the group. Then you would see all the seals move together and swim away. So, you don’t want to just paddle right up to them. Rather, get up current or upwind and slowly drift in to the area. In this case, there was current and there was wind. I was able to slowly drift into their area without spooking them, get this photo, and continue drifting by.