Where and when to see sea lions and seals
Playful pinnipeds that often approach divers, especially young animals. Colonies are year-round in most places, with pupping seasons changing how active and curious they are.
This guide documents sightings in 5 Good Dives regions.
Where to plan your trip
Our picks for a trip focused on sea lions and seals, chosen for the encounters below. Calendar peaks describe timing, not a ranking of destinations.
Sea lions on island dive sites
Scuba diving
GalápagosNorth Seymour and Mosquera offer underwater sea-lion encounters. Ask for those local sites when planning your itinerary; a trip focused on Darwin and Wolf is a different proposition.
Target: galápagos sea lion
Ask about: North Seymour · Mosquera
Playful sea lions at Los Islotes
Scuba or snorkeling
Sea of Cortez (La Paz)Los Islotes supports dedicated sea-lion dives and snorkels. The colony is normally closed to in-water visits June–August for breeding; confirm current access before booking.
Target: california sea lion
Ask about: Los Islotes
Sea lions and seals sighting calendar
Calendar months, every year
Regional overview rows show presence. The animal rows below each region show their individual peak months.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GalápagosEcuador | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Galápagos: galápagos sea lion | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Sea of Cortez (La Paz)Mexico | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||
| Sea of Cortez (La Paz): california sea lion | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | Peak | Peak | ● | |||
| Channel Islands (California)United States | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Channel Islands (California): california sea lion | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Neptune IslandsAustralia | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Neptune Islands: australian sea lion | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Neptune Islands: new zealand fur seal | Peak | Peak | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | Peak |
| Scapa FlowUnited Kingdom | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
| Scapa Flow: seals | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● |
Peak = best odds · ● = regularly seen · blank = unlikely.
Calendars describe animal presence, not weather or site access; check each region’s dive season. For grouped animals, a marked month may apply to only one member of the group. Sightings vary by site and dive.