The Elephant Seal Viewing area is located in San Simeon, California, 4.5 miles north of the Hearst Castle entrance on Hwy 1. Here is a link to our locations. Please check the Plan Your Visit page on this website for more information.

As the elephant seals rebounded from near-extinction, they first re-established colonies on the islands off the shore of Baja California and California. When these rookeries became too crowded, they began colonizing mainland beaches.

They began coming here in 1990. The Piedras Blancas Rookery was populated from San Miguel Island, San Nicolas Island, and Ano Nuevo. Elephant seals like large sandy beaches that do not have a significant human presence. The rocky areas in the shallow waters provide the weaned pups some protection from breakers while they are learning to swim. The kelp forests, which are not far off shore, and the shallowness of the sea bed could help the seals avoid predation since shark attacks are more common in deeper water.

The elephant seals do not eat while they are at the rookery. They live off their blubber, relying on it to provide water and energy. While they are ashore for birthing and breeding, the females will lose 30 to 40 percent of their body mass. Large males, who fast for 3 months during the breeding season, will also lose about a third of their body weight.

Weaners practice at night to learn to swim and dive in preparation for the dark of the ocean depths in which they will feed.