Chonkers the 2,000-pound sea lion draws crowd in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (NBC, KYMA) - A massive stellar sea lion that has been nicknamed "Chonkers" has been hanging around Pier 39 in San Francisco lately.

At an estimated 2,000 pounds, he is much larger than the California sea lions that usually gather on the famous pier.

On a sunny Tuesday, the sea lions are putting on their usual show for the droves of tourists who have come by Pier 39 to check them out, but a few people here have seen the newest and biggest star of this gathering.

Linda Helkin from Brisbane, Australia, is one those people.

"He's massive. Just lying there, didn't have a care in the world. Moved around a bit and laid down again," Helkin shared.

She's talking about "Chonkers." That's what someone on social media has dubbed him.

According to the Pier 39 harbor masters, he's come to visit occasionally over the last view years.

"He always comes to K Dock, it's always a couple days, same baton. But this time he's arrived and stayed for a month. And he's brought another friend for a couple days, another juvenile Stellar," said Sheila Chandor, Vice President of Pier 39 Marina.

His month-long residency has made him a bit of a star here, and Chandor says he's likely here now because the bay has plenty to feed on.

"Right now, the fact that he's staying this long means that there's a lot of food source close by to where we are. And it's a good sign, it means the Bay is healthy, we've got plenty of fish around," Chandor remarked.

The word has got out that Chonkers is a sight to see.

Doug and Tasha Veal are visiting from Maryland and hoped to get a look after reading an article about him.

"He's huge...And I'm guessing loud," Tasha said.

According to the Pier 39 harbor masters, the best time to get a look at him is in the mornings till about 9:30 and in the afternoons and evenings.

In the middle of the day, Chonkers is usually out in the Bay fishing.