Santa Cruz sea lions squeezed into tighter quarters by wharf collapse, but excellent viewing remains

Barking, roaring, gargling, grunting, squealing, squabbling, flopping, wriggling, snoozing and occasionally vomiting on each other, the sea lions of the Santa Cruz Wharf provide a noisy, fish-scented spectacle that in the wake of the structure’s partial collapse in December is now harder — but only slightly — to take in.

When a cataclysmic ocean swell shortened the popular tourist attraction by the length of half a football field, it ripped away a substantial portion of prime lounging-around...