Whiskers in the Wild: Sea Lion Stories from Channel Islands Harbor ⚓️
Join us for wildlife stories, field notes, and plenty of coastal surprises - from sea lions at the marina to hidden tide pools and a shop full of nature-inspired art.
Channel Islands Harbor, Oxnard, California // August 13th, 2025
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Equipment
Locations
📍 Honey Cup Coffee House — 3500 Harbor Blvd Ste. 1-105, Oxnard, CA 93035
Local coffee shop in the Channel Islands Harbor plaza. My favorite: Honey Comb Iced Latte with oat milk. Great pastries, friendly baristas, and plenty of plaza parking. Restrooms available in the plaza.
📍 Channel View Park — 29 Ocean Dr, Oxnard, CA 93035
Small park at the harbor entrance, just steps from Hollywood Beach. Sea lions often gather on the rocks and in the water - listen for their signature “arf”! No restrooms at the park, but facilities are available elsewhere in the harbor. Limited street and lot parking.
📍 Kiddie Beach Park — 3600 Harbor Blvd, Oxnard, CA 93035
Calm, protected cove inside Channel Islands Harbor. Great for families and swimming. Lifeguard on duty in summer. Showers, restrooms, and free parking on-site. Check water advisories after storms. Recently a major sea lion haul-out - maintain a safe distance and follow posted restrictions.
📍 Hobie Beach — 2974-3098 S Victoria Ave, Oxnard, CA 93035
Designated launch site for kayaks, SUPs, and small sailboats. Calm harbor water, easy marina access. Free parking in adjacent lot. Restrooms & showers nearby at Kiddie Beach.
Sea Lion Shenanigans
If you spend enough time at Channel Islands Harbor, you’ll start to notice you’re never really alone. The air is salty, and somewhere out there, California sea lions are already up to something: barking, splashing, squabbling, or just soaking up the sun.
Most mornings, before I set up my camera, there’s a ritual - Michael and I head over to Honey Cup Coffee in the harbor plaza. He goes inside for our order while I stay in the car, cleaning my lens and getting my gear ready for the morning. He always brings back a Honey Comb Iced Latte with oat milk for me - sweet and a little over the top… exactly how I like to start my day.
Then it’s off toward the harbor mouth near Hollywood Beach, where a loose colony of sea lions has made itself at home.
Why ‘Whiskers in the Wild’?
This series is here to highlight the sea lion colony in all its complexity - sometimes for the joy they bring, sometimes for the urgent issues that need our attention. Sea lions and humans have enormous crossover here. We share the same beaches, docks, and marinas. Laws like the Marine Mammal Protection Act exist for a reason, but many people simply aren’t aware of the details, or may not realize how their actions impact wildlife. Every week, I see visitors walk right up to wild sea lions for selfies, or try to feed or touch them. While it’s often driven by excitement or curiosity, it’s not always in the best interest of the animals.
But I also believe that gatekeeping wildlife isn’t the answer. There’s a lot of debate about whether we should share locations or keep them secret to protect animals. But as long as humans and wildlife overlap in public spaces, the point is almost moot - people are naturally going to encounter sea lions, birds, and all kinds of wild neighbors just by living, walking, and exploring here. Instead of hiding nature away, I want to help foster a culture of curiosity, respect, and care. If we’re going to share space with wildlife, let’s make sure we all know how to do it thoughtfully.
Watching these encounters - the delight on people’s faces, the occasional nervous shuffle when a sea lion barks = reminds me how close our worlds really are, and how easily that closeness can shift from magical to risky without a little shared understanding.
Note: For the purposes of this series, I refer to all the sea lions I observe throughout Channel Islands Harbor as “the colony.” In reality, individuals may come and go, and groups shift with the tides and the seasons. But this loose, ever-changing community is a vital part of our local ecosystem.
The Realities - The Joy and the Heartbreak
I find sea lions endlessly interesting - highly intelligent, social, and, yes, a little stinky and loud. They remind me of sea puppies: curious, playful, and surprisingly expressive. But not every story I capture is a happy one.
There are real challenges facing these animals, many of them caused or complicated by human activity. Sometimes, I witness sea lions with visible injuries or entanglements, like the adult male I recently saw at the harbor mouth with rope debris painfully tight around his neck. Other times, the problems are less visible but just as serious: sea lions here can suffer from domoic acid poisoning (caused by harmful algal blooms), Leptospirosis, and other illnesses. Many of these issues can be spotted by an observant public, and reporting them can save lives.
Just this week, I had to report a deceased sea lion at Kiddie Beach - a sad but important reminder that not every encounter ends well. Both times, I was able to report what I saw to CIMWI’s Rescue Team using their online form. These moments are hard, but they matter. The more we notice, the more we care - and the more we care, the better equipped we are to protect these animals and the wild places we share.
What to Expect in the Series
(Almost) Daily Clips: Short, unscripted sea lion moments. Sometimes playful, sometimes peaceful, sometimes pure chaos - shared on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. All filmed from a respectful distance, always prioritizing the sea lions’ safety.
Weekly Recaps: Every week, I’ll gather the best moments, field notes, and behind-the-scenes stories into a longer blog post here. These recaps will go deeper, sharing patterns I notice, conservation tidbits, and the little surprises that never make it to social media.
Education & Advocacy: Through this series, I hope to spotlight the importance of responsible wildlife watching, share resources for reporting animals in distress, and help demystify the “rules” of sharing space with our wild neighbors.
How You Can Help
If you’re in Ventura or Santa Barbara County and see a sea lion (or any marine mammal) in trouble, please report it to CIMWI’s Rescue Team.
Not local? Find your local marine mammal rescue organization using NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network directory or call the NOAA Fisheries Stranding Hotline at 1-866-767-6114.
Join Me
This is the first of many harbor-side chapters. Whether you’re here for the cuteness, the chaos, or the sea lion side-eye, welcome to Whiskers in the Wild.
I hope you’ll follow along, watch the daily chaos, check out the weekly recaps, and join the conversation. My goal isn’t to judge or shame anyone - just to share what I’m learning, celebrate the good, and help all of us (myself included) become better neighbors to the coast.
See you (and the sea lions) at the harbor.
Gallery
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