The Sea Lion Who Judged Me

Have you ever made the perfect plan, only to have nature decide to throw you a curveball?

That’s the real story behind this photo. I was out on the Salish Sea, off the Washington coast, on a whale watching tour. I’d even picked a small catamaran for the trip, specifically because other photographers said it was super stable—perfect for getting crisp shots. The plan was solid. The sea, however, was not.

The waves were so rough that our "stable" catamaran was getting tossed around like a toy. We actually found the whales, but trying to photograph them was like trying to shoot with a monkey hanging onto your lens. I got some blurry, chaotic shots, but nothing that captured their majesty. The trip was quickly turning into a bust, and a few people were starting to get seasick.

Sensing a mutiny, our captain wisely decided to head for the calmer, protected waters closer to shore, making a line for a small outcrop called Whale Rock. As we got closer, I could see it was covered in sea lions. Happy to have a stable subject, I and a few other passengers started snapping photos of the noisy, barking colony.

But the real moment was yet to come.

As our boat rounded the rock, passing between it and the shoreline, I saw him. Away from the main group, a young sea lion was sitting all by himself on a lower ledge. He just watched us, head cocked, with a look of pure confusion as our boat full of green-faced tourists motored into his quiet cove. It was a look that said, clear as day, “What are you all doing here?”

Knowing the boat was still pitching, I braced myself, cranked up my shutter speed, and used a long lens to zoom in. I fired off a burst of shots, hoping to freeze the moment between the swells. The result was this photo: a calm, curious creature seemingly questioning our entire existence while waves crashed on the rocks all around him.

The whole point of the trip had been the whales, but the highlight—the photo I came home truly excited about—was this one. It was a perfect reminder that even when your grand plans fall apart, something even better is often waiting just around the corner. You just have to be ready for the detour.

What about y'all? I'd love to hear about a time your plans went completely sideways but ended up creating an unforgettable memory. Share your story in the comments!

Now, I'm off to plan the next trip. Hope to see you out there.