NEWPORT HARBOR – A curious sea lion caught deputies off guard when it plopped itself at the helm of an Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol fireboat on June 24.
 | | | Photo by: Courtesy of Orange County Sheriff’s Department | | Hang On! -- A sea lion took the wheel of an Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol Fireboat June 24, and took deputies for a ride they won’t soon forget. | | |
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Harbor Patrol deputies Jim Slikker, Tracy Sizemore and Chris Corn responded to a report of an aggressive sea lion on the Fernando Street public pier. The young sea lion had reportedly latched onto a child’s pant leg and showed no signs of heading back into the bay.
“We attempted to call a couple of agencies that normally handle sea lion calls, but they weren’t available -- which left it up to us to handle,” Deputy Slikker said.
The deputies were able to shoo the juvenile sea lion into the water, but only a few minutes later, it jumped back on the dock. Concerned for public safety, the deputies decided they would transfer the sea lion to the bell buoy, which is known as a sea lion hangout.
Together, the deputies created a makeshift leash using boat lines from the fireboat. After three failed attempts, the sea lion was gently brought aboard the fireboat.
As the vessel cruised through the bay, the sea lion snuck into the V-berth, and then jumped into the driver seat. The sea lion used his flippers to experiment with the many buttons and controls that were laid out before him.
The vessel’s horn, blue light and navigation lights went off and on in succession, before the marine mammal made his way to the lower steering station. As he shifted his weight on the wheel, he also shifted the course of the boat. Deputies attempted to persuade the sea lion to leave the throttles -- which, at the time, were switched to reverse.
“He finally moved off the controls, and we were able to control the boat again,” Deputy Slikker said.
The mischievous sea lion and the boat were brought to the Harbor Patrol docks to wait for an animal control officer. Back at the docks, the animal was cautiously and gently coxed from the boat with a garden hose. After a few squirts of water, he jumped onto the dock, where he waited around for an hour and a half before heading back into the bay.
The deputies are still reeling from the encounter.
“I’ve been with the Harbor Patrol for 12 years, and I have never had a sea lion jump on board,” Deputy Slikker said.
This article first appeared in the June 2009 issue of The Log Newspaper. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
