Swimming with sea lions isn’t like dancing with wolves.
On the human side, you don’t need special zen talents. You do your swimming around and they do theirs, only their side is fast and sleek and splashy. It’s a bit like swimming with big furry powerful toddlers who somehow have learned how to fly around under the water.
Meanwhile, unconcernedly sharing the shallows, a huge brown pelican stood, preening his feathers.
It’s one thing to read in a book that Galapagos animals don’t fear human beings. It’s something different to walk among birds, mammals, and reptiles that hardly spare you a glance as they go about their busy animal business.
Of course, if you get too, too, too close…the magic tranquility shatters. And if the Galapagosian you got too close to is a huge black marine iguana, it will signal discomfort by spurting out salt from the salt glands inside its nose.
Whoosh!
Then it’s the human’s turn to be disconcerted.