Monk seal returns to sea after rest at Sunset Beach

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writer

A young adult monk seal that came ashore at Sunset Beach and spent the afternoon Sunday was gone by yesterday morning.

The sighting was not unusual, said Jason Baker, a monk seal researcher with the Honolulu Laboratory of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Seals have also been sighted at Ka'ena Point and at Mokule'ia.

The seal came ashore in the middle of a surf meet, and Baker said he just happened to be touring the island when he heard a public address announcement warning people away from the seal. He stopped to give aid.

When Baker arrived on the beach, he said some residents were guarding the seal and lifeguards soon put up posts to keep people away.

"A lot of people tried to take pictures and some had their kids stand by it, which is really dangerous," he said. "The seal snarled at them and entered the water again and came out" at a quieter spot about 100 yards away.

The seal was about 5 years old, weighed between 300 and 400 pounds and was between 5 and 6 feet long, Baker said.

Fewer than 1,400 monk seals exist today, most of them in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, said Delores Clark of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Clark said people are required to stay at least 50 yards away from the animals when they come to shore.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.