Breath Between Two Worlds - 1

The Mystical Naturalist muses over lessons from the California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) Part 1

Recently hundreds of male sea lions claimed the shoreline of a popular dive beach near Cannery Row in Monterey, California. This has been more commonplace over the past few years, it seems as if they are trying different alternatives since they rotate locations. They have also taken over a shoreline park, and other areas adjacent to, and under, Old Fisherman's Wharf. These pinnipeds announce their presence vocally but also by exuding an unpleasant stench like that of a sports locker room.

However, my heart connected with them long ago when their barks reverberated up the ocean cliffs, through the rain, and into my room through the louvered window to reach me. It was a lullaby that comforted and calmed me—ultimately luring me into my future.

Between the Shore and Surge

At the edge of the jetty where sea and stone meet in endless conversation, I pause to witness something magnificent. A sudden exhalation erupts at the surface; it is sharp and startling. The head of a mature bull appears and his dark eyes meet mine for a moment before the sea lion vanishes again beneath the waves, leaving only ripples and the lingering scent of salt and kelp behind.

This location is a male haul-out, a gathering that transforms the rocks into a living stage of sound and motion. One animal launches out of the water and reenters in a perfect arc; another floats nearby, rotating slowly with a flipper raised to catch the morning sun. Younger sea lions chase each other through the surf with grace and joyful exuberance in being perfectly suited to their element.

Below the waterline, kelp forests sway in ancient rhythms while barnacles tell their own stories on the submerged jetty stones. Above, sun-warmed rocks host a community of bodies. Some barking territorially, others settling into a deep rest that only comes after hours spent hunting in the blue depths.

Although it seems like chaos sometimes, it's choreography. Each breath, coordinated move, and emergence from the underwater world heralds power and presence in life within both realms. These creatures remind me that some lives are meant to exist fully in multiple worlds at once.

Sacred Breath

To witness a sea lion surface is enthralling. Repeated countless times each day, it isn't static, it changes all the time. That sharp exhalation is sometimes a warning, a startling announcement, or a complaint.

But at other times it is exploration, playful celebration, and a way to reconnect. In that moment between underwater and above, between the pressured depths and the open air, something happens.

Their breath carries messages to those who observe. It speaks of journeys taken in the blue-black depths, of prey caught and released, of the constant navigation between two worlds that require different ways of being. Each surfacing act is both a return and a departure, a moment of presence that acknowledges the vastness of the worlds they move through.

Watching these remarkable creatures reminds us that we humans also live between worlds, the seen and unseen, the practical and the mystical, the known and the mystery. Unlike the sea lions, we need to practice surfacing, of coming up for breath, of pausing between our own depths and heights.

Their gift to us is the reminder that some boundaries are meant to be crossed, that breath is sacred, and that the spaces between worlds often hold the greatest teachings. In their endless cycle of diving and surfacing, they show us how to navigate the depths while never forgetting the sweetness of air and light.

What ancient wisdom do these remarkable beings carry? How did Indigenous peoples understand their sacred relationship with the sea? And what threats do they face in our changing ocean?

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Learn the answers to those questions and find out more next week in Part 2: "Ancient Wisdom and Modern Threats" as we dive deeper into the world of the sea lion and the challenges that test their resilience.

Please share your thoughts in the comments below, and if you're moved to do so, visit the coastal edge to witness, to listen, and to remember what we're meant to protect.