Seeing aquatic creatures when you are at sea level can be tricky.  If they pop out of the surface, you might spot them if you are paying attention.  Get a bit of elevation and things are suddenly a lot easier to spot.  We reached Point Defiance at the turning point of our hike and stopped to look out across the water.  Straight down below us was a group of seals.  Looking down they were immediately obvious.  They would dive down every once in a while but, given how many of them there were, there were always a few on the surface.  They seemed to be just hanging out near the beach on a sunny day.