Sea lions return to Ballard pier despite pipe deterrent

The sea lions of Ballard are an ambitious bunch: They’ve returned to a private pier that was altered last year with a large corrugated pipe that was meant to deter them.

Last August, the owner of the private pier at Golden Tides Marina—John Goodman—installed the large pipe on the pier last August to discourage the massive creatures from congregating on his breakwater for the private docking area at the marina.

But it appears the sea lions are determined to make use of the pier despite Goodman’s efforts. My Ballard Facebook Group member Karen Daiss posted the above photo in the group last week.

“I’ve been watching this guy for days (there were actually two of them sunning). He kept bouncing off the tube and finally stuck the landing,” she wrote.

While there aren’t nearly as many sea lions on the pier as in previous seasons, it’s clear they miss their old hangout.