A Sea Otter’s First Moments With Her Pup: One Shot in a Thousand 🦦📸
April 2025 // Elkhorn Slough, Moss Landing, California
Only here for the view? Jump to the gallery.
Equipment
Locations
📍 Elkhorn Slough public tour via Monterey Bay Eco Tours — 10932 Clam Way, Moss Landing, CA 95039
Tour company utilizing a custom, 37 foot electric catamaran to cruise the slough in a wildlife-friendly way. Tours start around ~$48 for adults.
📍 Elkhorn Slough early-morning photo tour via Elkhorn Slough Safari — 7981 Moss Landing Rd # E, Moss Landing, CA 95039
Tour company offering specialized photo tours, baby tours, and more. Adorable gift shop with a great selection of books and souvenirs. Regular tours start at ~$46 for adults.
📍 Sea Otter Viewing — Moss Landing, CA 95039 (see location on map below)
Small sea otter viewing area off of Moss Landing Road.
📍 The Power Plant Coffee —7990 CA-1, Moss Landing, CA 95039
Coffee shop offering drinks, sandwiches, and pastries. I kept returning for the banana date smoothie!
☀
☀
Blog
It typically takes me a few days (sometimes weeks… or years) to edit. I love sharing my photos - but truthfully? I dread editing them. As someone who primarily shoots wildlife, most of my time is spent combing through hundreds (okay, sometimes thousands) of shots to find the few that feel just right.
But today, I didn’t mind sitting down to sort through them. I was too excited not to.
My partner and I have been exploring the Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, and Monterey areas over the past week as part of our anniversary celebrations. It’s currently pupping season for harbor seals, and Southern sea otters are also giving birth this time of year. Earlier this week, I took a tour that resulted in some truly breathtaking images I’ll be sharing soon - but nothing could have prepared me for what happened today.
We booked a morning tour with Monterey Bay Eco Tours, and about halfway through our 10:00 AM trip, our naturalist suddenly gestured to the left of the catamaran. A sea otter had appeared near the surface, floating calmly - but there was something different about her. At first, she was on the opposite side of the boat from where I was sitting, but I quickly adjusted my position to get a better view.
And that’s when we realized: she had just given birth.
Whether it was seconds or minutes before we arrived, it was clear this was an incredibly fresh moment. I began photographing from a distance. The first few images aren’t pristine, but I’ve included a crop here that shows something you almost never see: the baby sea otter, still partially wrapped in its translucent amniotic sac, clutched gently to its mother’s chest. Its tiny face is turned toward hers. It’s hard to describe the quiet intensity of that moment - I felt suspended in time.
I shared my monitor with a few guests nearby so they could see what was happening. It didn’t feel right to keep something that magical to myself.
As the boat adjusted course, I had a clearer view from my side. The mother had shifted the pup, now facing away from the boat, still holding it tight as she drifted softly with the current. The intimacy of it all - I honestly forgot I had a camera in my hands for a few seconds.
Sea otters have always been my favorite animal. They’re one of the reasons I started publishing my work in the first place. To witness a birth like this - wild, tender, fleeting - was nothing short of awe-inspiring. I feel incredibly lucky not only to have seen it, but to have documented it.
I’ll be sharing more photos from this tour later this week!
P.S. If you’re a marine biologist, naturalist, or sea otter expert and have any insights or clarifying details about what I captured - particularly regarding the amniotic sac - I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out: info@saltnoelle.com
P.S.S. We launched the shop! Keep checking back for new product & thanks for your support!
Gallery
Some links on this site are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, but we are not paid by companies for promotion - this simply helps support our work.
