Harbor Seals of Whidbey Island

Harbor Seal:

Class: Mammalia

Order: Pinnipedia

Family: Phocidae

Genus and Species: Phoca vitulina

The life of a harbor seal

Harbor seal pups weigh around 25 pounds at birth and are 3 feet in length. Adult males can reach 300 pounds and 6 feet in length compared to adult females, which weigh about 190 pounds and about 5 feet in length. Within minutes of being born they are able to swim and dive, though they also cling onto their mothers’ backs with their foreflipers. You can find harbor seal pups in the spring and the summer on the beaches when their mothers are out feeding—but don’t worry they will return back to their pups! The mother harbor seals won’t abandon their pups until 3 to 4 weeks after birth, once the pups are fully weaned.

Harbor seals are stealthy and can hold their breath up to 30 minutes while diving for fish, squid, crustaceans, and their dives range from 30-500 feet. Off the coast of California they have even been recorded down to 1,500 feet! They spend most of their lives within a 5 mile radius and can live in both salt and freshwater. 

How much space should you give a harbor seal?

Harbor seals are just as curious about you as you are of them, but give them plenty of space. They are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act which states the law you must stay 300 feet (100 yards)—equivalent to one football field, not including the end zones—away from any marine mammal. Want to get an up close and personal encounter with a harbor seal? Join us for a kayak or paddle board tour, and let the harbor seals come to you! They love to pop up behind our kayaks with a loud exhalation of air and peak at us, as well as dive for fish right under our kayaks. It’s super fantastic to see them at night during our bioluminescence tours and see all the fish darting away, sending flashes of light through the water column and the outline of a harbor seal in fast pursuit!

If you see a seal on the beach and think the animal is in obvious distress or has been left unattended for more than 48 hours, give them plenty of space and contact the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 1-866-ORCANET or 360-678-3765. It is illegal to touch or harass a seal. Make sure dogs are on leash if the seal is on the beach.

Can you tell the difference between a harbor seal and a California sea lion?

Seals: think short name, short flippers! Harbor seals have short flippers and when they haul out on sandy beaches or rocky coast you will find them inching around on their bellies, because they cannot support their full weight on all four flippers. Harbor seals have round heads with short noses. They look like wet balloons on the water's surface, or bowling balls with ear holes.

Sea lions: think long name, long flippers. When sea lions haul out on docks, rocks and beaches they can support their full weight on all four flippers and are very agile. Sea lions have elongated snouts and ear flaps that look like the Disney character Shrek. They are the most vocal of mammals with many vocalizations of barking, grunts and growls heard underwater and above, whereas harbor seals are the least vocal of the pinnipeds.

The best places to spot a harbor seal on Whidbey Island

The Langley Marina is a great place to spot a harbor seal. Whether you’re on a kayak tour or relaxing on the beach, seals can often be seen in the surrounding water, curiously checking out what’s going on around them. Possession Point (located about 20 minutes away from the Langley Marina) is also a perfect spot to paddle around and spot a seal. Join us for a half day adventure on the water, where seals, beautiful scenery and wildlife are abundant! Penn Cove (located in Coupeville, about 45 minutes away from the Langley Marina) is another beautiful paddle area to watch the harbor seals. Penn Cove is a lovely, sheltered area that is perfect for kayaking, and along with seals you can check out the mussel farm that harvests mussels for local restaurants!

Tabitha holds a bachelor of science in marine sciences from the University of Connecticut and now lives here on Whidbey Island. She loves inspiring and educating people of all ages about the marine environment and all of its inhabitants. If you would love to learn more about the local marine life, join her on a kayak tour! In her free time she is underwater scuba diving with her husband. 

A curious harbor seal spotted during a Langley Marina Kayak Tour!