The first thing you notice is the noise at Kiddie Beach, a strip of sand at the north end of Silver Strand.
Residents here say they've never seen anything like it before.
Hundreds of sea lions, completely taking over the beach just a few yards from Victoria Avenue.
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California sea lions along Silver Strand Beach are pretty common, long-time residents say.
They're often in the harbor, along the jetties, and out in the water.
But this?
"This is unusual," said Edward Jackman, who has lived there for 12 years, about a block away from where the snoozing, the posing, the belching, and the splashing have turned into a 24-hour spectacle.
He started noticing it a few weeks ago.
"I'm sure there's people who are closer who are, like, 'That's enough barking!'" he said.
One NBC4 viewer said the sea mammals had been "venturing into the neighborhood," but didn't have any proof of that.
Jackman did snap a photo of a couple after they'd passed a concrete sea wall, but never farther.
He says they're more of a curiosity than a nuisance.
"I can't see any downside to it. I mean, they're a little smelly," he said.
In the summertime, it's is a pretty popular destination. The water's nice and shallow, and there's kayaking. Families like to gather on the sand.
Now, the only families you can see on Kiddie Beach have whiskers and bad breath.
Lisa Pierson said this collection, as large as it is, is a mere fraction of what she's seen before.
"This is probably 25%," she said.
She wonders what could have caused it. Changing migration patterns? An ongoing dredging project that's scheduled to finish next year?
NBCLA reached out to the Channel Islands Harbor Patrol and the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro for answers, but so far, they have not returned inquiries.
Also: what happens when the weather gets warm again, and people will want to visit this beach to swim or paddle board?
If it's anything like this, those activities will definitely not be an option.
