“Leggo My Leg, Oh!” // What a sweetheart. It’s that time of year when young harbor seals tend to get curious about us bubble beasts passing by their new diving grounds—there’s just something about legs and fins that drives them wild. They’d never admit to it though, as sneaking up on you seems to be a prerequisite for their enjoyment. A few close passes are made to determine if you’re gonna be chill about their examination—too eager the response and nope, they were just checking out some other thing where you happened to be. But if you pretend well enough that the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen isn’t in any way interesting to you, then you may eventually feel a slight tug on your fin, some curious tap-tapping on your ankle and a “omg look behind you!” from your buddy. A careful and nonchalant rollover may then find you staring down at a tiny sea pup thinking your limbs are the seas knees. “omg is this legs? never seen any up close before! so you like “stand” on these right? tripppyyy...” After testing the water early on our dive last Sunday, t hislittle lady wouldn’t leave @boojitom and me alone, following us all the way back to shore to watch us exit the water with our autotomized flippers in hand as we performed a feat of gravity defiance (“walking”) that would leave her transfixed in the surf zone. This was the best seal encounter I’ve had in years and it’s the kind of thing you just can’t force—the seal has to have all the cards and feel free to play whichever she’d like. It makes these moments all the more special to know that you’ve ultimately been chosen as a land-mammal study specimen, and I’m pleased to have helped this pup get a leg up in her research 😅