Sea Lion Takes Underwater Selfies At Long Beach Aquarium
LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — The art of taking a "selfie" is no longer just for humans. Now, sea mammals are able to join in on the fun.
Hugh Ryono, who is a trainer at the Aquarium of the Pacific, recently constructed a selfie stick for sea lions to use underwater.
"I just thought it would be neat to see a swimming sea lion from the same selfie stick perspective that surfers and other action sports athletes use to give you a 'you are there' feel to their shots," Hugh wrote in the aquarium's online blog.
Ryono explained he mounted a GoPro camera to the end of an old pole in order to create the selfie stick.
"The float actually neutralized the weight of the camera and mount, which made it easy for a sea lion to hold while swimming underwater," Hugh wrote.
On Thursday, Milo, one of the sea lions who is featured at the aquarium, was the first to test out the camera.
"Milo proceeded to take the camera on a quick but exciting circuit of the front pool of the exhibit," Hugh said.
From the results of the footage, it appears that Milo was able to snap several photos while swimming in the exhibit.
CBS2's Greg Mills went to the aquarium in search of Milo and his fans.
"He's good, he's funny," said Avery Edwards.
"After seeing my 2-year-old daughter taking selfies I think anything's possible," said Megan Gugneja of Newport Beach.
Milo shares the pool with two other sea lions -- Harpo and Parker. But Milo is the standout.
"He's smart," says Ryono, "and he picks up things really fast."
