Alaska is the heartland of the sea otter’s range and we saw these adorable marine mammals with a white face everywhere. They were by far my favourite to observe as they were so playful and curious – and did I mention cute? I was very happy when we this morning was going out for some kayaking in calm cove. This would be the perfect place for a sea otter to hang out so I was hoping to come close to them with the kayak.
The clouds were low and there was still some rain in the air, but as we set out the weather improved. It did not take long before we observed both sea otters and steller sea lions in the cove. We tried getting close to them, but these little players would only allow us to come a certain distance before they would disappear under water and show up in a completely different location.
FUR TRADE
Sea otters have the thickest fur of any mammal. and indigenous people have always hunted the sea otter for food and fur. But it was not before large scale hunting started in the 18th century the sea otters became endangered. Otter pelts were considered one of the world’s most valuable types of fur and more than a million sea otters were killed. When the North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911 was signed it was believed that only 1,000–2,000 individuals remained in the wild and it was likely that the species would become extinct.
The sea otters where definitely playing cat and mouse with us and it seemed like they had fun doing it. We got lucky when one of the sea otters became curious and decided to check us out. He popped out of the water just 3-4 meters from our kayak. I was way to slow getting a picture of it so you can only see my hubby pointing at the ripples in the water after it dived under.
ANOTHER SET BACK
The sea otters had a new set back when the Exxon Valdez spill 4 March 1989 killed thousands of sea otters in Prince William Sound. These marine mammals are particularly vulnerable to oil spills as they spend a lot of time at the surface. When their fur is soaked with oil it loses its ability to retain air for insulation and the animal quickly die from hypothermia.
A bit later the sea otter again popped out of the water and swam under our kayak. That was so exciting – I could actually see the shadow of it when it passed us under water. At this time the rain had gained in strength again and the camera had been secured in the water proof bag so no photos, but I will never forget that moment.
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Typically sea otters prefer to stay closer to shore and like calmer areas where they are protected from the wind and waves. The waters can’t be too deep as they would normally feed on marine invertebrates. Often we would see them laying on their back feeding on sea urchins. We never observed them on land which makes sense as they are very clumsy on land, but an acrobat in the water. In a very secluded bay we once came across what seemed to be a nursery. In the cove was several mothers laying on their back each with a baby on the belly.
The weather cleared up again towards the end of our morning kayaking adventure. I could have stayed kayaking amongst the sea otters all day, but this was our last day in Prince William Sound and we were still to hike to an abandoned gold mine and meet up with some fast swimming Dall’s Porpoises.
Facts from Wikipedia and Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
I adore these little cuties! I have never seen them in the wild, though. Thanks for sharing.
They were just adorable! It was a treat for us to be able to see them in the wild where they belong. The sea otters are very fun and playful. Thanks for reading Emilie!
I agree with you about sea otters. They are like watching puppies playing. We see them often in the bay’s around the Gulf Islands, great pictures.
Thanks! Yes – they are all over the place, impossible to keep up with them:) They are definitely more acrobatic and faster in the water than we were in a kayak. Thanks for reading!
Enjoyed your post immensely Inger. And being in a kayak when observing the otters is especially delightful because you are so close to them. Great photos and narrative. 😀
Thank you so much for your comment Jet, much appreciated:) It was such a treat for us to meet these adorable creatures in their natural environment. They definitely had the advantage in water as we struggled to keep up with them. A fun morning!
They are so much fun to watch. Constantly seem to be playing or eating. Maybe we could learn something from that. Great post. Have fun. Jim
Thanks Jim! Yes they were a lot of fun to watch and to try and keep up with. Wonder where they get all the energy, they seemed to constantly be on the move:) I think we could definitely learn from them, to have more fun! Thanks for reading.
Aww what an amazing experience. They look so adorable. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Lucy! They were co cute – it was so exciting to meet them close up in their natural environment. We had a lot of fun this morning trying to keep up with the sea otters:)
Oh wow lucky you to get to see and photograph these wonderful animals!
I fully agree Phil – it was such a treat to meet these playful creatures in their natural environment. Definitely very exciting meeting them in the waters in the wild:)
Loved the post! I could imagine your excitement when it swam under the kayak. That’s awesome.
Thank you so much! I couldn’t stop smiling after our little play date with these adorable little water acrobats!
Beautiful experience – thank you for sharing it! Sometimes the experience is more important than the photo; a terrific shot without a story to tell is meaningless after all.
I definitely agree, the experience was amazing even without the photo. I had butterflies in my stomach when I realised it was going to swim under the kayak. I couldn’t stop smiling that day:: Even thinking back at it makes me smile right now! Thanks for reading, always appreciate you comments!
To see these cuties must be astounding in the wild. Thanks so much for sharing this. As always your photos are superb.
Thank you Sue, much appreciated! It was so exciting to see the sea otters in their natural environment. What a fun morning it was trying to keep up with them. We off course were not nearly as fast as these little water acrobats 🙂
Major case of jealousy here. What a nice experience.
We had a great time, it was such a treat for us to meet the sea otters in the wild. And very fun that it seemed they were just as curious about us as we were about them:) Thanks for commenting Steve!
Adorable critters. How special to see them so close while kayaking! Sad to read about the oil spill though and the decimation from the fur trade. Thanks for sharing such this wonderful experience with us.
Thanks Jane! The sea otters were very fun and so cute. They had their struggles for sure but numbers seem to have re-bounced. We felt privileged to be able to meet them in their natural environment. What a day! Thanks for commenting:)
Sea otters can be really playful, I agree. I remembered snorkeling and they were playing with the fins of several people 🙂
It looks like an awesome kayaking adventure, but looks a bit chilly !
Snorkelling with sea otters sounds like an amazing experience! Would love to try it:) Funny that they came so close to you and even played with the fins of some of the people. Thanks for sharing!
What a great thing to do – cat and mouse with sea otters it looks and sounds amazing. Pictures are fantastic too – love that low cloud and the effect.
Thanks Joy! It was a fun morning for sure, we quite enjoyed it. The low clouds were beautiful this morning:) Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
Beautiful little creatures! Lovely photos and interesting info. The sea otters have certainly had a lot to contend with.
The sea otters have had their share of problems for sure, but fortunately these cuties seems to have bounced back! We had so much fun trying to keep up with them. Thanks for reading!
Ok, now that is cool. Otters are such playful and interesting creatures. I love the shot over the “bow” of the kayak. I don’t go on small boats like that so I am not sure what to call the front of the vessel.
The sea otters were so much fun! They are so acrobatic in the waters, and it was fun for us that they were so curious about us as well:) Thanks for the comment on the photo, much appreciated. Have to be honest, not sure what the bow of the kayak is called either:) I’ve always just called it bow. Thanks for reading!
Wonderful post! Love the facts interspersed with your own story, and so great you were able to observe them so close! Sea otters are probably my favorite animals ever, certainly the cutest!!
xoxo
Ellen
Thanks Ellen! I certainly agree with you – the sea otters are the cutest! We had so much fun with them this morning. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment:)
What a great experience. I love sea otters but haven’t been able to get a photo yet.
Thanks Lyle! It was a lot of fun:) We were able to get some photos of them, but we mostly observed them as we were moving which doesn’t give you much time to get that ‘one’ shot:) They are absolutely the most adorable animal we saw up in Alaska. Thanks for reading!
The mist nicely emphasizes the wonderful landscape, this should be a pleasure to discover these charming people that are the sea otters.
Congratulations for photos.
Have a nice day.
Regards. Hervé
Thanks Hervé! I agree, the very low layers of cloud definitely gave the landscape an mysterious feel to it. Thanks a lot for commenting! 🙂
I just love those sea otters’ little faces! Thanks for taking us along on a beautiful trip. 🙂
The sea otters were the most adorable animal we observed in Alaska. They are so cute you can’t help but love them:) Thanks for commenting!
This must had been so much fun. I only saw these cuties in the ZOO, it must be such a different experience to see them in their natural environment.
It was a lot fun observing them in their natural environment, they are real acrobats in the water! And especially fun that they decided to approach us:) What a morning! Thanks for commenting.
A great post – so nice to be carried away to a place with beautiful scenery, kayaks and sea otters!
Thanks for your generous comment Kathy! We had a wonderful and fun morning so it was a pleasure sharing the adventure:)
Such beautiful creatures, what a wonderful experience!
I love those misty photographs, that’s just how I imagine Alaska!
The sea otters were adorable! I haven’t met a single person yet who didn’t think the sea otters were the cutest:) It was a great morning kayaking alongside the sea otters surrounded by mountains covered in low clouds. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
sea otters are so cute! your photographs are beautiful, Inger! thank you for sharing 🙂
I have read that Canada did marvelous work to protect the sea otters. The on that you saw looked so adorable and cute – great image! Lucky, lucky you to see the sea otters in their natural habitat!
BTW, today is Endangered Species Day (15th May). I am going to post on Marine Life series on the 19th May about Endangered/Vulnerable Marine Species. Can I use your sea otter image and link your post to my future post? Credit will go you of course! I have never seen sea otters and your image and information about sea otters would be a great addition to inform others of this beautiful endangered species.
You are more than welcome to use the picture Indah:)
Thank you 🙂
Beautiful photos, Inger! The sea otters look like they enjoyed your company 🙂
Thank you! They probably don’t see people out there that often so they were probably just as curious about us as we were about them:) Thanks for stopping by.
Oh… sea otters. So sad to know millions were killed… Thank you for posting the facts.
The sea otters are so cute – fortunately they have bounced back in numbers are can now be seen all over Prince William Sound:) Thanks for stopping by!
Wow – the scenery is just glorious!
Thank you! And I agree – it was such an amazing scenery in Prince William Sound. The water, the mountains and the low hanging clouds, loved it:)
What incredible photos! The sea otters look like they would have been so much fun to watch. I can’t wait to read more about your adventures 🙂
Thank you so much! We loved watching the sea otters, so much that we almost forgot about the rain. It was a great morning paddle. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
The sea otters are so cute and playful! They don’t get company that often so they must have enjoyed your visit. Gave them a chance to play hide-and-seek and show off their diving skills.
And what diving skills they had! They were like acrobats in the water. It was so much fun watching them. It seemed like they were a bit curious about us for sure. As you say – they probably don’t get visitor too often! Thanks for stopping by.
so cool and fun 🙂
Thanks Joshi 🙂
Cute little devils, I’d love to see them in their natural habitat. Gorgeous photographs!
They were absolutely adorable! We had so much fun trying to keep up with these water acrobats this morning:) I can’t think of a better morning paddle. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment Elisa.
Cute and adorable is a good way to begin. They just couldn’t be sweeter! I use to take my children to Monterey Bay for weekends and we would go kayaking and swim near the Monterey Aquarium. I don’t know if it is still allowed in that small bay but it was amazing. The otters would swim right up to you in the water.
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I agree, cute and adorable never get old:) Must have been so much fun in Monterey Bay! These otters didn’t come that close up to the kayaking. But after being hunted for years who can blame them? They were still curious enough to pop out of the water close enough for me to get butterflies:) Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment Léa.
It has been several years but the bay we swam in was adjacent to the Aquarium and is protected. There was no sign that you couldn’t swim there but it was rare to see other’s in the bay. Thank you!
Such cuties and so fun! I’ll bet you guys were smiling the entire time, too 🙂 ♥ <3