Sea lions are pinnipeds that are easily recognizable by their external ear flaps, cute, pointy nose, long, puffed up chest, and their ability to walk on all fours. Some of the more popular sea lion species are the California sea lion and the Steller sea lion. These fast, agile swimmers can reach up to 30 knots underwater and are very curious about the world around them. In fact, sea lions are not afraid of scuba divers in the least and have been known to buzz right around a group of divers, blow bubbles at them, and even chewing on their snorkels and fins.

Sea lions can be encountered in almost every ocean from tropical to subarctic waters, in both the northern and southern hemispheres, except the northern Atlantic Ocean. They prefer coastal waters and are commonly seen while scuba diving. A favorite activity amongst sea lions is laying out and basking in the sun. In fact, you can get quite close to some large colonies of sea lions as they lay out on large rocks, the beach, and even channel marker buoys. If diving with these loud, playful swimmers is on your bucket list, check out the dive site map below to see where they are commonly sighted and go diving with sea lions today!