South American Sea Lion

Photo: Matteo · CC BY-NC

Sea lions use La Catedral's arch as a transit corridor and play zone, rocketing through the narrow passage in tight formation and sometimes circling back to investigate divers hovering at the arch entrance. The echo-locating clicks of hunting sea lions are audible through the water before they appear, giving divers a few seconds of anticipation before the encounter. Young males especially favour the arch as a social space, and multiple individuals may line up along the walls resting between hunting bouts.