Seal Appeal

While working on Peregrine and Kestrel at Botallack yesterday afternoon I happened to notice a Grey Seal come to the surface to breath.

The water was calm and a lovely clear blue which produced a good surface detail around the seal.  

After a couple of minutes the seal rolled over and dived again but returned to the surface at the same spot every fifteen to 30 minutes or so.

This reminded me of the days when I used to work with seals underwater in the Scillies and  Lundy Island.

I new by the regular appearances of the seal several times at the same location that it was cat napping alongside a large rock that could be clearly seen at the seabed.

I have fond memories of times when I used to seek out such activities in my old underwater photography days and on finding such a seal would work with it both at the seabed and the surface for several hours looking for close focus wide angle portraits during which time the seals would sometimes become very relaxed and at times even sleep while I was less than a metre from them.

Below is a close focus portrait of a relaxed Grey Seal taken on one of my last Scillies seal trips way  back on the 8th April 2004.    HAPPY DAYS !!