Elephant Seal Vista Point, San Simeon

San Luis Obispo, CA Print   Leave a comment

Description

At Elephant Seal Vista Point, you can stand above the beaches and look down on massive elephant seals, and in winter, their pups. You can see the seals from fairly close. There are docents dressed in blue to answer your questions. The seals throw sand up over themselves with their flippers. The male seals have scars from fights, and these scars show off that they are ready to become an alpha male. April to August is molting season and the seals laze around on the beaches shedding fur balls.
It's a little disconcerting how many people there are- bus loads of them- but it's still a wonderul sight!
Here's a calendar of what to expect throughout the year:
Late November: Huge adult males arrive from Alaska and start to fight for dominance. They weigh as much as two tons! A male may bellow extremely loudly to make another male back off. Sometimes they will bang chests together or bite each other's chest, which is so callus and thick it is called a chest shield. Mostly, the males save their energy for the big fights in February. They also don't eat until February.
Late December: The pregnant females begin arriving and give birth several days later. There are about 40 females in each male's "harem." The females have eaten a lot, but now they will fast while nursing their babies. The pups weigh about 60 pounds when born, and the birth takes half an hour. The mother and pup vocalize together as soon as the pup is born so that they bond, and can find each other on the beach if they become separated amid the crowds of seals or during a winter storm.
January: The pups nurse, gaining about 10 pounds a day!
February: The female seals wean their pups and mate with the male- peak mating time is around Valentine's Day! The male mates with each of the 40 or so females in the harem. He must chase away the other males who may be lurking around off the beach. The female abruptly leaves her pup and heads out to sea.
March: The plump pups must survive for eight weeks on the milk they've eaten because they can't swim well enough to get their own food yet. The pups spend March teaching themselves how to swim.
April and May: The females and juveniles return to molt. The seals are now susceptible to cold because their fur is gone.
June to August: The subadult and then the adult males return to molt.
September to November: The young seals and then the subadult males go to rest (haul out) in a safe place since they are now susceptible to cold. The bulls actually stop fighting with each other at this time.
Nine minutes drive south,  check out gorgeous William Hearst Beach and eat lunch at the food truck at Hearst Ranch Winery San Simeon. If you're lucky, you may see an elephant seal up close while it lazes on the sand at William Hearst Beach! Nearby, you can do a romantic and beautiful tour of Hearst Castle,
If you head down the coast, you will come to Cayucos, a funky little beach town, a great place to eat.
Elephant Seal Vista Point is the first stop if heading north on Big Sur Coastline Drive, a stunning drive that you should take a day to do!
I heard that Motel 6 in San Simeon is very nice for an inexpensive hotel right on the water.

Photo Gallery

An alpha male approaches his harem of hundreds of females and their pups.	A seal lying on its side.	Seal harem.
Seals gathered by the water.	Sleeping cozily in the soft sand.	Resting together near the shore.
Soaking up some warmth from the sand and sun.	Visitors look from the viewing area.	Seals and a rock jetty behind.
Seals, sparkling water, and rocks jutting out of the sea.	Baby seal looking cute, bottom left.	A mother and daughter check out the sight.
Blue water and pelicans on the rocks.

Directions

About 6 miles north of San Simeon, along Hwy 1. It is called Elephant Seal Vista Point on google maps. Parking and entry are free.

This is an interactive map, you can zoom and move it.

Overall Visitor Rating:

Lillie 11/13/2011 12:01	I love this place. I\\\\\\\'m so happy there are people to look after them. we have been there in Dec, this year I will be viewing the seals in Sept. thank you to all who look after them.
carol 06/26/2010 01:26	Really cool diversion. Went in December and saw hundreds of baby elephant seals.
Mimi 10/22/2009 19:23	I drive the coast next month also can not wait- Sensational last time!
Katarina 10/09/2009 15:27	fantastico!