Spotted by a Sea Lion

I took this photo at South Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm, Alaska. The seal was resting on a small chunk of ice, drifting quietly in the cold, still water. What really caught my attention was the way it looked at me—calm, a little curious, and completely unbothered. It didn’t seem scared, just aware, like it was trying to figure out what I was doing there.

The scene around us was quiet, with the sound of distant ice cracking and the soft lapping of water. But for a few seconds, everything felt still—just me, the seal, and that steady gaze.