Back in December, former professional soccer player Joshua Phillips went on a boat ride along the Eld Inlet near Olympia, Washington. It was supposed to be another relaxing day. But then, he spotted a struggling dinghy in the distance. Curious and perhaps a little concerned, Phillips steered his boat towards the tipping vessel to see what was going on. When he finally got close enough, he found out what exactly was rocking the tiny boat. Apparently, two gigantic sea lions had decided to commandeer the vessel!
“As we got closer, we noticed it was not sinking, but instead there were two very large Stellar sea lions on board,” Phillips said. The PNW native frequents the waters, as he’s quite fond of fishing. In fact, he’s turned his fondness for the activity into a business with SPAWN Fly Fish, where he sells fly tying materials and flies.
Phillips spotted two huge sea lions atop a tiny boat
As Phillips was recording the uncanny sight, he also noticed a third sea lion trying to join his buddies. Unfortunately, the two blubbery buccaneers didn’t let him get on. We can only assume why the pair turned down their friend. Perhaps they were aware that any more weight on the boat and it will completely capsize. Or maybe they just didn’t want to let him join in the rocky fun. Whatever the reason is, Phillips confirmed that the boat had slipped “completely underwater” with just the two on board.
Despite the video going viral, no one has come forward to claim the commandeered boat. It is important to note that on average, male Stellar sea lions can weigh up to around 1,200 to 2,500 pounds while females average in at around 580 pounds. And judging by the size of the mammals recorded by Phillips, they’re both heavyweight male Stellars. No wonder that tiny boat couldn’t bear their combined weight!
Sea lions rest above the water for a number of reasons
Phillips’ chance spotting of the sea lions taking over a tiny boat is not only amusing but also informative. Sea lions come to land or, in this case, on a boat, to avoid predators. In addition to this, they also come to land to seek mates and raise their young. In this case, the duo appeared to just be playing around and enjoying some sun.
This isn’t the first act of piracy committed by the sea beasts. Back in 1990, they colonized San Francisco’s Pier 39, much to the chagrin of boat owners in the area. Then, just two years ago, officials were forced to close a beach’s swimming area because the sea lions were attacking nearby beach-goers. Since posting, Phillips’ video has amassed over 89K views on his Instagram page.
Watch the video below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6MY89yB1ND/
Here’s what people had to say about the gigantic sea lions
Source: Joshua Phillips