We recently had the opportunity to visit a sealion colony. A huge bonus was that the fees we paid would be used to help the local, volunteer paramedic corps buy their own ambulance.
Why do they need to buy an ambulance? Good question! The health care system here is … different. The hospitals have private ambulances that they will (sometimes) send out to pick people up. But only if the patient has $$$ to pay. No dinero (money), no ambulance. So many communities have volunteer ambulance corps that are recognized by the health care authority (for patient transport and emergency calls), however they are not supported by the health care authority. During the pandemic, the volunteer groups had to fundraise to buy gloves, masks, and other PPE’s, as they were not supplied by the government (as they were for public hospitals).
AAANYWAY, we got the opportunity to visit the Los Islotes sealion colony and snorkel with the animals. I have snorkeled with sealions before – here it Mexico at San Rafaelito and in Cabo San Lucas – however this was a first for the Basha. For me it was the first time to be in the water with the adult males. They can weigh 600 to 700 pounds, and they are FAST in the water!
I did my best to get a few pics – they aren’t amazing, but …
