Foraging Dives of Elephant Seals

Elephant seals are extraordinary divers, capable of holding their breath for nearly two hours and descending over 1,500 meters.

To survive the immense pressure and lack of oxygen, they undergo a process called peripheral vasoconstriction, shunting blood away from their extremities to prioritize the brain and heart. Interestingly, they also spend about 90% of their time at sea underwater, sleeping in short, spiraling glides called “drift dives” to avoid predators. This physiological mastery allows them to exploit deep-sea food sources that remain inaccessible to most other marine mammals. 

I live on the West Coast and a popular destination for road trips and vactioneers are the Sea Lion Caves on the Oregon Coast. Check out the Sea Lion Caves website. 

Here is a nice YouTube Video on the Sea Lion Caves.

Source:
Costa, D. P. (1993). Marine Mammal Science, 9(4), 341-358.