Nearly every morning, members of UCLA’s woman’s rowing team meet for practice in the waters off of Marina Del Rey in Southern California. There, they are no strangers to the region’s aquatic locals — with one certain kind in particular.
“It’s pretty common to see sea lions,” crew member Faye Turcotte told The Dodo.
Most of the time, the rowing team and sea lions simply share the water. But recently, they shared more than that.
While taking a short break from rowing, Turcotte and her teammates observed a young sea lion swimming nearby them. They all stopped to take in the sight of him.
“[He] was super cute, so we were all excited,” Turcotte said. “That’s when [he] jumped onto the bow deck of my rowing shell.”
With that, Turcotte was face-to-face with the adorable stowaway.
As the sea lion flopped out aboard the vessel, Turcotte seized upon the chance to snap a few photos.
After a few minutes, the sea lion slid back into the water. But he didn’t say gone for long.
Moments later, he reemerged, hopping directly into the seating compartment of Turcotte’s teammate, Logan.
From that more comfortable spot, the sea lion wasn’t eager to leave. So, the rowing team headed back to shore, with the hanger-on in tow.
Once docked, the team was able to coax the little sea lion out.
But the story doesn’t end there.
Just to be safe, Turcotte’s teammate, Elsa, called rescuers from the Marine Mammal Center. They came out to give the sea lion pup a checkup. They found him to be malnourished.
Fortunately, they were also able to get him the help he needed.
In the end, it was likely a lifesaving encounter — and one Turcotte and her teammates won’t soon forget.
“It was super exciting to see the sea lion, because [he] was so cute, and nothing like that has ever happened before to us!” she said. “We’re glad [he’s] doing better and being taken care of.”
