I was a little unsure about picking up a fish and offering it to a sea lion, but after Terry showed off, saying it was easy, the rest of us followed suit. The shiny black female I fed had tickly whiskers and very bad breath, well, at least fishy breath. I guess that wouldn’t be nasty breath to another sea lion. Maybe, in fact, it was like cologne or perfume to other seals: eau de sea stink.
We watched a show called Flippers, Facts, and Fun: the Sea Lion Experience. The show was adorable, funny, and incredible because the sea lions were more obedient than any dog I’d ever seen. (Yes, I know that some people don’t like seeing trained animals, but these sea lions (and otters) seemed quite happy to demonstrate their prowess in barking, diving and being cute. And it was probably easier for them to get mouthfuls of fish for a performance than to retrieve them in the wild where the sea lions might have to do an obstacle course with boats and sharks.)
We toured the Jewels of the Sea where we got close and more or less friendly with a lot of jelly fish. First there were the moon jellies. They glowed. Then, there was a fourteen foot tall aquarium! It was like being in the ocean with them, except a lot safer. The interactive passages allowed us to stare up at a Gallery where we were surrounded by bioluminescence. It was all so wonderful. I’d say it was the highlight of the adventure, but Bob and Timothy both liked the fact that they got to touch the rubbery creatures. Timothy said the jelly fish felt like gelatine, the kind that is hard enough to make into cubes and sort of shimmies when you wiggle it. Bob said the jelly was a slimy balloon. Terry and I just hung back, more comfortable watching than putting our hands into the water.
Next was the shark encounter. I was glad we didn’t feed or touch the sharks. They looked fierce and mean as they swam their restless circles. None of them paid any attention to us, which was a good thing. A staring shark might have given us nightmares. (Jaws in the flesh?)
The Reef tidepool was filled with little kids. We didn’t stay there long, but we did see the starfish, mostly salmon-colored, although a few were tannish brown. All of them were elegantly shaped, like geometric art. (Okay, except one. It was missing a leg or tentacle or whatever. But Frank assured us it would grow the part back. He said that losing a limb was often a defense mechanism for the creatures, like a lizard losing its tail when a cat chases it.)