Los Islotes is closed until September 1st!

June — Birth: too fragile, too adorable

The pups are usually born in June — all black, all clumsy. That's exactly why we leave them alone. They need their mother, milk, and long naps in the sun without an overexcited human waving at them underwater.

On May 31st, Los Islotes closes to divers and snorkelers. The colony needs peace and quiet, and that's exactly what we give them.

A baby sea lion coming in for a close inspection — curious eyes, heart-shaped nose guaranteed. 🩷

July–August — Learning: discovering the sea

During these two months, the mothers teach their pups to swim. The babies splash around, half-sink, come back up, look indignant, and try again. The big males, meanwhile, hold court on the rocks. The colony hums with life.

While all that's happening, I wait. I check the calendar. I think about their little noses.

Fin nibbling alert — that's their way of saying hello.

September 1st — Reopening: we're back!

When we dive at Los Islotes in September, the pups are about 3 months old and already one metre long. They swim, they play, they are impossibly curious. Within weeks of discovering divers, they come to nibble your fins, your hands, your hair, turn circles around you, and look you straight in the eyes with their big shiny black eyes and their heart-shaped little noses… too cute 🩷

They nibble gloves, inspect fingers, have zero shyness. And that's exactly as it should be.

It's one of the most magical experiences in La Paz — sharing the water with these fearless little creatures who seem to find humans just as entertaining as we find them adorable.