‘Giving his best profile’: Stowaway sea lion poses while perched on massive vessel

This photo, submitted by David Raglin, shows a seal perched on the rudder of a massive gran ship in Vancouver's English Bay.

David Raglin has encountered more than his share of marine life in his four decades working as a ship agent in B.C. But last week he saw something he’d never seen before.

A sea lion had somehow found its way onto the rudder of a massive grain ship docking at Vancouver’s English Bay Anchorage, where it sat calmly as Raglin “raced” to snap photos and shoot video—almost seeming to lean into the experience.

“There are a couple of photos where it looks like he’s completely turned his head around, and he’s looking back, and there’s a couple where he’s just giving his best profile possible,” Raglin told CTV News.

While sea lions are agile and curious, Raglin can’t quite fathom how this one wound up perched where it did.

“It was probably just looking for a place to chill,” Raglin surmised, adding he does wonder where along the ship’s route the stowaway got on board, and whether it could have been trying to avoid a predator.

When he returned to the vessel the next day, after it docked, the first thing he did was look for the sea lion. But there was no sign of the marine mammal, which Raglin figures found its way back into the water sometime overnight.