On any trip to the coast of British Columbia I always keep my fingers crossed that we get the opportunity to photograph Sea Otters. Not only are they absolutely adorable, the fact that we can even see them at all is a success story.  Sea Otters were hunted to extinction on the coast of British Columbia in the early 1900’s.  However, due to reintroduction, populations have grown, and now we have been fortunate enough to see them on all the coastal trips that I have been on for Marine Mammals, including the Spring Great Bear Rainforest trip.

This one seemed to be giving us a bit of attitude, while he was wrapping himself in kelp he was looking at us out of the corner of his eye like to say “Do You Mind”.  Sea Otters will wrap themselves in kelp in order to anchor themselves in place while they sleep to keep them from floating away.

This image is copyright © Terri Shaddick, if you are interested in using or purchasing this image, or any other images on my site, contact Terri Shaddick at [email protected].

Taken: August 16, 2016
Location: Johnstone Strait, British Columbia

Camera: Canon EOS 1D X
Lens: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4x III Extender
Focal Length: 700mm
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO: 1000
Shutter Speed: 1/1000