uk diving and a seal

[tuomo]

This summer I spent two weeks in UK with my family, including my brother Pekka. We had the possibility to dive at several locations and Pekka managed even to spear a nice bass.
Diving in Uk especiallu cornwall was very good ( excelent compared to Finland), and I managed to see things I have never seen underwater before including a lobster and a seal.

The seal was ofcourse the highlight of the trip. This happened in cornwall at a remote beach that we found by asking locals for a nice water entry place. We intended to go spearfishing and the water seemed excelent visibility vice. Since we only had two suits with us we took turns to go in water. Me and my dad went first into water. I swam straight to a nice looking kelp about a 60 metres from the beach. Visibility at that time was indeed excelent and I could see smallish bass swimming close to the bottom. I decided to look for bigger ones and continued swimming away from the beach. Suddenly I saw a big grey thing sliding about 15 meters to my left, I instantly realized that it was to big to be a bass or any other fish that I was after. It came a bit closer and I could clearly now see that it was a seal. This was very exciting to me, since this was my first ever encaunter with seals. I instantly unloaded my gun ( Wanted to make sure that I would not accidently shoot the seal ). The seal came very close to me and was seemingly curious about me. I dove down with it many times. The seal would sircle around me and when surfacing it would always face towards me and look at me. This continued for about half an hour. After the half hour spent with the seal, I decided to head for the shore, partly because I wanted others to see the seal too and partly because I started to get a bit worried about the seal not losing interest in me. ( I know that seals are not dangerous, but they are big animals after all ). The seal followed me all the way up to the shore and once it saw me getting out of the water it slapped the water and swimmed away. Strange thing was that the seal, after I had gotten up from water, swam very close to my dad but didn't pay any attention to him.
After me getting out of water the seal completely disappeared, until I went back to water.. I had been diving for a short while and headed back to the shore, just to hear from rest of the group that the seal had just came back.
It was very strange that I was the only one of us that the seal was interested of.
This was ofcourse a very cool experience and I'm very happy that I got to dive with a seal.
The seal spoiled my hunting, but I got to swim with a seal and that was something i had never experienced before.

Tuomo

[Alison]

Nice one
We have a local tame seal, He regularly tries to pinch my catch, so I have to pull in my float, then he plays a hide and seek sort of game or swims around my feet. I remember the first time I saw him, much like your experience I also for a moment thought he was a huge Bass and was aimimng through the murk looking for the head, when I realised that there was more animal there than I thought

[Brian Hamilton]

We are overrun with seals up here (north Scottish mainland) and they are very curious and often check us out. The other day I was in a shallow bay with my speargun stalking some Coly and a seal was buzzing round seeing what I was up to.

After bagging a good sized fish I swam back and the seal was on my tail the whole time. I climbed onto the shore and saw the seal about 20metres out looking hungrily at the fish. I waved the fish at him and I'm sure he flipped me the bird with his flipper before swimming away in a huff.

Brian

[miles]

Hiya

Seals are great fun!!!! Always brightening up my day!!!! Spoils your spearing though, as all fish in the area will dis-appear when a seals around.

Just some advice, seals are wild creatures. They CAN and DO bite!!!! Worse than a dogs bite. Just look at those teeth and you'll see what i mean. Play with them, but NEVER feed them.

We had a tame seal that would blow huge bubbles all around you, then simply nab the fish off your stringer!!! Sneaky bugger!!!!

I've even had a seal take a nip at my flippers!!! ALso means that there are no nasty sharks around!!!!

Regards
miles

[mishu1984]

ive seen a video from BWHI in which a freediver has to fight with a seal that was trying to each a recently speared fish...hehehhe

it would be nice to dive with them though

[Roan]

When you dive with a seal, spin or turn like a corkscrew as you descend. The seal will follow suit.

[tuomo]

Yep, the seal was big enough to me that I surely did not want it to bite me, and surely they are cabable of doing such if provoked. Hoewever this createru seemed to be quite playfull and did not seem offencive. I would never think about feeding any wild anymals, except birds, since you can never know the consequences.
Seal I saw was a grey seal, about 1,5 m long and surely over 100 kg.

Tuomo