Seals, sea lions, & tide pools at Yaquina Head & Newport - Van life on the Oregon Coast

We are checking out another spot this morning before heading to the library and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna love it. Lighthouse, tide pools, and great views. Doesn't get much better than that. Oh look! These are the first kind of seals we've seen like this, aren't they? They are so cute. Well we are off to a great start. There are some, I think it's harbor seals down here. It's the first we've seen like this, the light colored seals, and oh my goodness are they adorable. I don't know if my footage is any good but one guy was trying to come up and the water came up and he kind of rolled back into the into the water and scooches way back up. Dang they're cute. We've seen the sea lions and I think, are there brown colored seals also? Well yeah, some of those are brown. They're all different. They're white. We haven't seen any of the light colored like this. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area is a striking stretch of Oregon's central coast known for its towering basalt headland, sweeping ocean views, and rich marine life. The area's exposed coastline and offshore reefs make it one of the area's most scenic and ecologically diverse locations. Isn't it wild the sound this makes? Trying to think of what it reminds me of. The staff here are referring to this stone as cobble. It's quite interesting. It's kind of cool. We came to this spot because of its reputation for tide pools. We hadn't been expecting to see seals and so many of them for sure. What a delightful treat. Man down, man down. Harbor seals are found along temperate and cold coastlines of the northern hemisphere. They are easily recognized by their rounded heads, large dark eyes, and spotted gray or brown coats that help them blend into rocky shorelines and sandy beaches. You can do it little guy. You can do it. He's trying to get back on his rock. Aw. Harbor seals spend much of their time in the water hunting fish, squid, and crustaceans, but regularly haul out onto rocks, sandbars, and beaches to rest, warm themselves, and care for their pups. Harbor seals are often called the puppies of the sea because of their big eyes, round faces, and habit of popping their heads out of the water to stare at people. Often called bottling because of how much their posture resembles an empty bottle bobbing around upright and floating in the water. Seals have excellent eyesight above water and bottling allows them to quietly scan their surroundings while keeping most of their body hidden below the surface. By staying nearly motionless, they can serve energy and avoid drawing attention from predators like sharks or orcas. That still watchful stare helps them assess potential threats, boats, or unfamiliar activity along the shoreline without committing to flight. Seals are naturally curious animals, especially in areas where they regularly see people. Holding their head steady above the water gives them a clear view while they decide whether something is safe or worth investigating. Once they're satisfied, they'll often sink silently back below the surface. This is fantastic. I follow a photographer from Maine who calls harbor seals chub marines and I can't help but think that it's the perfect name for these adorable little critters. It's so fun watching these mammals wiggle around to get themselves up on rocks and to get themselves comfortable. We really could have watched the seals for hours. It was especially entertaining to watch them as the tide was coming in and they battled to keep their resting spots on the rocks as long as possible. Some kept sleeping as waves splashed into them and knocked them around. Is this the equivalent to hitting the snooze button over and over in the morning when you're just not ready to get up? It was quite entertaining to watch these little guys. At low tide, Yaquina Head's tide pools reveal a vibrant intertidal world tucked into rocky areas at the base of the cliffs. Sea stars, anemones, mussels, limpets and colorful algae cling to the rocks while crabs and small fish hide in shallow pools left behind by the receding ocean. Timing a visit with low tide allows visitors to safely explore these habitats while learning about the delicate balance of coastal ecosystems. This is absolutely amazing. The seals definitely steal the show here but these tide pools are so cool. There are birds everywhere. I'm actually trying to find a nudibranch. I think it's a banana nudibranch but I haven't been able to find one yet. And there's also some chitons. Those are some things you should be able to find in the tide pools. I haven't seen them in any of the places I've visited. Not sure if I have the patience to find them or not but what I am seeing is awesome. And the tide is coming in. Seeing all these seals definitely sealed the deal. We are completely in love with the Oregon coast. Rising above the headland is the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Oregon's tallest lighthouse. First lit in 1873 to guide ships along the hazardous coastline. Its white tower and powerful beam remains an active aid to navigation today. The lighthouse area includes interpretive exhibits that share stories of lighthouse keepers, coastal hazards and the technology used to protect mariners. Well that was awesome. That was very special. Very cool to see the seals and all the other wildlife. Kind of funny the first seal that we spotted when we were walking in the tide must be coming in so he was struggling to stay on his little perch and eventually just gave up. Yeah the seals were definitely the star of the show today and as Steve said that the tide was definitely coming in and it was funny to watch them all like they're all perched on the rocks and slowly giving up their battle losing to the tide. All right you guys just came out to the van to take a break from working at the library. It's actually 1 30 so it's a little bit of a late lunch although we got to the library a little bit later today because of those seals. I did not want to leave there. Sometimes when we find an amazing place like that it's so hard to leave but we've got real life and work to do so we headed here and I am totally swamped with work and we're also loading our video for today which typically would be fine because usually internet speeds are okay at a library sometimes excellent sometimes just okay but today it is horrible. So it's kind of frustrating because we try to really have our videos load at the same time every Wednesday and Sunday so it's a little frustrating when that doesn't happen so I think our video is going to be like maybe an hour or more late today because of the slow internet. Also I've been reflecting a lot lately because we mentioned in our last video how we had some kind of frustrating difficult days and I think it's hard to even say that because with this kind of life and all the amazing things we're seeing even on those more difficult days it just seems like oh how can how can I even say that how can I have a more challenging day how can things be difficult but I think it's hard it's I've noticed a pattern this happened in 2023 on our first big trip it became more difficult at this time of year because this is my busy time with work so we're trying to sightsee and we're trying to balance that with work and I think it's also tough because we're not working in our own like comfortable space we're working in libraries or paneras and there's challenges. I used to be like the energizer bunny that's what we joke around Steve would call me that because I could just work and during my busy season like I could get up in the morning and work till I went to bed at night no problem and I don't know if that's changed because I'm older maybe it's because of the setting and being in these different places and having the challenges and then also maybe because it is actually more tiring traveling full-time I feel like it could be more tiring because we're always planning always figuring out what we're doing always also trying to sightsee and I think it's possible to be overstimulated by all of that like there's just so much going on all the time so I think it can be exhausting so at this time of the year fall specifically it definitely could be more challenging so we just try to work on finding balance we accept that there's days that aren't as good because of weather I mean weather can be complicating because you know you plan your travels and we expect to be in one area for a certain amount of time but then if the weather's crappy we have to decide oh are we going to stay here longer and able in order to enjoy some of the things here are we just going to take it for what it was realize that the conditions weren't the best and we're just going to move on and sightsee in the next place so there's just a lot of figuring to do and kind of just re-evaluating expectations and um you know just making do with how things are so mornings like today and the other day when we saw the whales those moments are just so incredible and they just help quite a bit for this whole balancing act in the ups and downs so again I don't know there have been some challenges lately but just some amazing moments so right now I'm going to enjoy having some food go back inside and work and then we'll figure out what moments we can steal to see more cool things and another thing that I'm really thankful for is leftovers I'm really glad to have all this for on the days like this we're really busy we don't have to do as much cooking we can run out here and I like leftovers cold so I'm totally thrilled that we have all this Mexican stuff and restocked on some guacamole at Walmart so I got some good toppings yum I'm spreading out a little bit what are you doing what are you doing all right well we saw some adorable harbor seals earlier we didn't want the sea lions here to feel left out so we've come to see them in the historic bayfront district of Newport we actually saw these guys back in 2018 and they cracked us up so it's going to be fun to check them out again Steve you already see some sea lions I think we're getting close a large colony of male sea lions mainly California but occasionally some stellar sea lions as well can be seen at Newport is a perfect spot for these mammals because of its protected harbor with calm waters that offer sturdy floating docks in the presence of abundant fish and scraps from local commercial boats in the area male sea lions can reach seven to eight feet and over 800 pounds the ones with the jetting foreheads are the older more mature lions these local vocal marine mammals haul out on docks and buoys to rest between feeding trips in the nearby ocean their deep barks and playful interactions make them easy to spot watching them lounge spar and jockey for space has become a familiar and entertaining sight along Newport's waterfront so I think all this fighting has to do with there's not enough space for them all to lay so they a new one jumps up and everybody gets mad and they fight about it it's like being on a family vacation fighting over the back seat these sea lions are powerful swimmers that feed on fish and squid taking advantage of the productive waters of the central Oregon coast while they may appear relaxed on land they are agile and fast in the water capable of diving deep and traveling long distances in search of food in coastal harbors like Newport sea lions can create challenges due to their size numbers and behavior around human infrastructure large groups hauling out on docks and boats can cause structural damage from their weight and sharp claws leading to costly repairs their loud vocalizations and accumulated waste contribute to noise and odor issues especially in busy waterfront areas sea lions may also compete with commercial and recreational fisheries by feeding on fish near docks river mouths and jetties and they can pose safety risks if people approach too closely while these impacts require active management sea lions remain a protected species and solutions focus on coexistence rather than removal the sea lions have lounged on these docks since they were put in place for visiting recreational boats about 20 years ago while they can cause problems locals know they're an important part of the ecosystem and are a major tourist draw bringing approximately 300,000 visitors each year in july the sea lions migrate to the channel islands of southern california where the females stay year-round after breeding they return around the first week in august to the northern waters where the food is more abundant while the females raise the pups in the warmer southern waters so wherever there's parking over here well we had some dinner next to the newport bridge which is a pretty cool bridge and then we made our way back to the otter crest loop because we really like spending our nights here it's been quite the day a lot of things packed in started out really great with the tide pools this morning and the seals and then what a great ending to go see those silly sea lions yeah it was fun to go back there and uh boy are those guys loud funny arguing over space it's like a yeah a mass of of sea lions bodies and all fighting and juxtapositioning themselves juxtaposition you said it right wow it's a big word for me i thought it was pretty funny it almost reminded me of like a junior high sleepover gone bad like there's all these sea lions just all like comfy sleeping and then one would try desperately to get onto the platform and just lay himself on top of the others and then they'd get all angry and they would just go back and forth so it's pretty comical glad we were there it was a lot of fun yeah so we're gonna get some rest now and tomorrow morning we're actually going to do a little bit more sightseeing and stuff and do work later in the day we're actually going to backtrack a little bit head back up to depot bay maybe see some more whales this is where we're going to leave you for this episode if you enjoy our videos please consider becoming a patron by using the link on the screen that we've also included in the video description along with information about today's adventure and our channel a special thank you to all our patrons we appreciate your ongoing support thanks for coming along with us on this van life adventure please take a second to hit the like button below leave a comment to let us know 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