Sea Lion Encounter

What could be more fun than spending time with a sea lion? Learn all about what makes sea lions so special on this 20-minute sea lion encounter tour!

Your day begins at our Dolphin and Sea Lion Center, where you will meet up with our knowledgeable trainers, who will give you a short poolside lesson about sea lions and how to interact with them.

After that, it’s time to jump into our specially designed shallow water pool, where you’ll play and swim with our sea lions, who will show off their affectionate and playful personalities. 

Learn about our furry friends and be amazed by them!

You’ll be able to get up close and personal with your new flippered friend in our specially-designed shallow water pool in a 20-minute small group. The swimming with sea lions encounter is an experience you will never forget!

Education and Fun in One Package

Our hands-on sea lion swimming adventure is for guests ages 5 and up and is one of a kind! In addition to being one of the few opportunities to go nose-to-whisker with these energetic and mischievous creatures, swimming with sea lions is also highly educational.

Our Marine Mammal Specialist will give you a short poolside lesson all about the sea lions’ unique physiology, feeding habits, and behaviors before you slip into the crystal clear water to meet the group of sea lions.

Did you know that Pacific sea lions are fin-footed marine mammals? Or that they are members of the “eared seal” family, which means they have external ear flaps that set them apart from other seals? You’ll learn more about these and so many other sea lion facts during your encounter!

Playtime in the Water

Get ready to clown around! Sea lions are known for their intelligence, affectionate playfulness, and noisy “barking.” And, you’ll experience all of that and more in your sea lion encounter. You can pet a sea lion, shake a flipper, give them a hug and maybe even get a wet, fishy kiss in return.

This is an unforgettable experience for the entire family. Kids and grownups alike will be smitten with our sea lions, all of whom love spending time with people and showing off for guests. They don’t hesitate to let us know what’s on their minds! Their exuberant barks, honks, and trumpets will have everyone in your group giggling.

This Is an Experience You’ll Never Forget

If you have enjoyed any of our dolphin tours, then you know how profound interacting with marine mammals can be. However, sea lions are a different creature and it shows! They’re smart, but they’re also more affectionate and expressive than dolphins.

The silly faces they make are a delight to behold! Are you ready for a full-flipper hug? We’ll have photographers on hand while you’re swimming with sea lions to capture all the memories of this incredible experience.

We Treat Our Sea Lions Like Family

We want to ensure that our sea lions are always excited to meet and play with our guests, and we do that by treating them like family. They get the downtime they need between encounters, and none of our animals ever spends more than two hours a day interacting with people.

That gives our sea lions plenty of time to rest, relax, play with one another and work with our trainers - which is an important element of their daily enrichment. And we want all of our animals to be as healthy as they are happy, so we feed them a carefully curated diet and give them regular checkups.

To learn more about how we care for our sea lions (and our dolphins), please take a look at our Corporate Responsibility page.

To learn more about how we care for our dolphins and sea lions, please take a look at the Humane Conservation program in which Dolphin Adventure is proudly certified.