Think like a seal
Diving with grey seals can be one of the most rewarding underwater UK experiences , but we must also consider the animals ’ welfare . Report and photography by Simon Rogerson
Consider the early life of a grey seal . Born weighing 10kg in the hostile environment of the UK ’ s offshore islands , they are immediately exposed to the elements . They have just three weeks in which to put on weight on their mothers ’ milk , at a rate of 10kg per week . If they fall short of the 40kg target , chances are they ’ re not going to make it . When those three weeks are up , the seal is abandoned . The mother has to replenish her own energy reserves , so this seemingly helpless pup must enter the sea and learn very quickly how to be a seal .
Every diver remembers their first seal encounter . For me , it was 20 years ago at Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel . Not really knowing what to expect , I was thrilled to see a large marine mammal in my own country . I admired their speed and agility , but of course what really enthralled me was their unbounded curiosity .
A seal picked me out for special treatment and took me through various stages of what I now recognise as typical pinniped play . It nibbled my fins , made close passes right in front of me and nuzzled against me with its tactile , whiskered snout . When I made to move away , it clasped my midriff in its flippers and buried its head in my chest . It ’ s hard not to fall in love with a wild animal that shows such a high degree of trust that it accepts you into its world .
The need to play is hard-wired into a young seal ’ s behaviour . Let ’ s go back to our fourweek-old pup , entering the water for the first time with little more than sheer instinct as a guide . It has to learn fast , and the best way to do that is from other seals ; that playful behaviour is an animal seeking to establish its place in the hierarchy .
There is almost no female-female play , because it serves no useful purpose for later life . Young males will play with females
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