SC report 5/26/07-e seal sighting

Fished north of SC on Saturday hoping for the perfect halibut tide to stir the bite. No dice for me. Got two little RF, black & yellow and a gopher, on a bounced hoochie. Chilly out there, and swell was rising. Water still pretty murky.
While I was tossing a white swimbait I hear a "whoosh" behind me. I figured it was just a big male sea lion, as I could see its whole back...wait a sec, that's just it's head??? Then the young elephant seal raised his head straight up out of the water about 2 feet. The whole animal might have been 12 feet long, at least. His nostrils looked a double barreled 8 gauge, and his eye looked about as big as my fist when he turned it on me. He slipped back beneath the water, and that was all I saw of him. It turned a basically skunked day into something interesting. I think that's the first elephant I've seen here in SC in the last 5 years.

Cool encounter!  Makes it memorable and fun if no one gets hurt!