Coastside Buzz

Explore the Coast - Coastside Calendar & Directory - Articles, Podcasts & Video

MENUMENU
  • Home
  • Content
    • Multi-Media
      • The Coastal Butterfly
      • Coastside Disaster Prep
      • Coastside History
      • Coastsider Musicians
      • Phog Foundation
      • Surf Sessions
      • Writers Corner
        • Boys of the 60s
        • Wrong Shirt - A Memoir Series
    • Podcasts
      • Bedtime Stories
      • CoasTalk
      • Eclectic Radio Show
      • Fun On The Coast
      • Gone Fishing
      • HMBHS Cougar Radio
      • Just Call Wick
      • KHMB
    • Own Voice
      • Coastside Beach Ambassadors
      • InPerspective
    • Public Agencies
      • Cabrillo Unified School District
      • City of HMB Planning Commission
      • Coastside County Water District (CCWD)
      • Coastside Fire Protection District
      • Granada Community Services District (GCSD)
      • Half Moon Bay City Council
      • MidCoast Community Council (MCC)
      • Montara Water and Sewer District (MWSD)
      • San Mateo County
      • San Mateo County Harbor District
      • Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM)
  • BUZZ Calendar
  • BUZZ Directory
    • View the Directory
    • How it Works - Join Today
  • About
    • Promotion
    • Buzz Productions : Photo-Essays, Podcasts, Audiobooks and Videos
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Founder Bio
  • Contact
  • Elections 2022
You are here: Home / Podcasts / The Coastal Butterfly / Opening for Seal Pupping and Sailing Season at the Half Moon Bay Yacht Club!

Opening for Seal Pupping and Sailing Season at the Half Moon Bay Yacht Club!

April 17, 2018 by Michelle

3 day old Harbor Seal pup on the HMB Yacht Club floating dock. Born on the dock Saturday.

Yum, yum feeding time. Nice ergonomics!

Hauling out on the HMB Yacht Club floating seal dock. Safe and sound.

Last Saturday marked the beginning of two special seasons at the Half Moon Bay Yacht Club – the sailing season, and the harbor seal pupping season!

There were great winds for sailing after all the boats were christened, followed by fun, great food and…fantastic harbor seal viewing from a safe and legal distance onshore.  Robert Chetwynd, who hails from Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia and owns Venture III, has been docked in the harbor for about a month now.  He first spotted the brand new pup last Saturday morning, which appeared to have been born at the end of the club’s dock (leave it to the gulls to signal life and death in the harbor…)

Both Venus (mom) and Neptune (pup) seem to be doing well.  A volunteer from The Marine Mammal Center stopped by today to assess Neptune’s health, and believes both are exhibiting normal, healthy behavior. They’ve been hauling out on the ferry periodically, and we’ve seen Neptune nursing.   Great care will be required over the next few weeks to be sure Venus isn’t separated from Neptune.  There’s a second mom/pup pair nearby, so we’ll need to be mindful of their presence on docks and in the water very near the beach.

Especially during pupping season, we need to keep our distance.  We’re too close if the seals start staring, fidgeting or fleeing.  Harbor seals, in particular, are skittish and may rush into the water or abandon their pups.  The can become stressed and may be trampled, and continued interruptions could be harmful to their health.

For lots more information about these adorable little pinnipeds, please check-out NOAA’s Share the Shore with Harbor Seal Pups frequently asked questions, and if you ever see a seal or sea lion that appears to be in distress, in a strange place, or being harassed, please call The Marine Mammal Center at (415) 289-SEAL.

Share the Shore with Harbor Seal Pups WEBSITE

Please stay back 100 yards (land or water).

Keep your dogs on a leash.

If the animal is injured, call our hotline at 1-866-767-6114.

The best thing you can do is to leave the animal alone.

Main Seal Dock. Both Harbor Seals and Sea Lions haul out on this dock. Many are molting. If they have ears and are barking, they are Sea Lions

Wheee!!! Harbor Seal Butterfly.

Bonus Photo: Merganser bad feather day

All photos from Ed Larenas, Harbor District Commissioner and Surfrider Foundation.

Written by Kris Lannin Liang, Certified UC California Naturalist, Volunteer Marine Mammal Rescuer, Rehabilitator and Educator.

Related

Filed Under: Home Top List, Podcasts, The Coastal Butterfly Tagged With: baby seal, harbor seal, hmb Yacht Club, pillar point, pillar point harbor

Follow Us!

CoastsideBuzz Instagram Icon Link Coastsidebuzz Facebook Icon Link

SUBSCRIBE TO WEEKLY BUZZMAIL


Mavericks PaddleSports Live Cam of Pillar Point Harbor

Half Moon Bay Coastside Tours Logo thumbnail
KHMB Coastside Radio logo
Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce Logo
Pacifica Chamber
surf-shop mavericks
hmb review Oceano Hotel and Spa
hmb brew co logo

Coastside Buzz

About
Contact

Work With Us

Promotion
Buzz Productions

CoastsideBuzz Newsletter

Join Us on Facebook

Join Us on Facebook

Search

© Copyright 2023 · CoastsideBuzz.com · Half Moon Bay, California · All Rights Reserved

 

Loading Comments...