Relaxed diving?

[bburville]

YouTube - Tickle me belly!

Before you say ... ooh lovely just like a pet labrador dog.... this is a wild grey seal weighing about 150kg (over 300lbs) whilst a large male labrador dog weighs on average just 34kg (75lbs)

Safe diving,
Ben "Seal diver"
www.youtube.com/bburville

 

[I Dive]

Awesome!

 

[KY_BOB]

That's cool!

 

[elmer fudd]

So what would your advice be when it comes to interacting with seals? Where I dive, (Puget Sound), we have numerous harbor seals and some sea lions as well and while I have been around them while diving, I haven't had any direct contact with them. Are there any hazards divers should be aware of with seals?

 

[bburville]

In short - be wary of any sea mammals and give them respect!
Never chase or approach too close - if they wish to interact let them come to you.
There are various things you can do that are likely to make you more interesting to them - involving noises and body movements but it is hard to describe these in writing! except to stay that you need to keep very still and consider rhythmical movements of hands or isolated fin clad foot.
Remember that these creatures, although generally gentle have sharp teeth and can hurt when they play!
If you respect them and do not get carried away they will respect you.

Consider "hide and seek" amongst kelp (weed) - they like this game sometimes.
If they do approach avoid exhaling (if on open circuit) until they get a little used to you as the bubble noise can scare them initially.
Safe diving & best of luck.
Ben "Seal diver"
www.youtube.com/bburville

 

[smellzlikefish]

I do know that Hawaiian Monk Seals have similar bite strengths as large cats like lions and tigers and will use it when provoked. I assume other seals have similar reactions. If they don't get you, I know there is a marine mammal protection act that discourages via fines the harassment of marine mammals.

 

[it_mike]

Don't go so Green on us, smellzlikefish

The MMPA is far too often used to harass divers just for being in the same ocean. Don't confuse chasing/harassing marine mammals with gentle, mutually agreed to interactions.

 

[elmer fudd]

I've done some searches on line for information about seal and sea lion attacks on divers and come up with surprisingly little. Most of the attacks I've read about seem to be of the single bite type with very minor wounds. Kind of like most dog bites. It seems that seals are most aggressive during the breeding and brooding seasons.

The only writings I could find where the authors seemed to regard seals as a serious hazard involved leopard and elephant seals. Considering the large number of seals out there and the fact that they are very common at dive sites, I have to conclude that they pose very little danger to divers.

Still, any large, wild animal with sharp teeth is something that I intend to observe with great caution.

Thanks to bburville for the thoughtful reply.

 

[ssturges]

Big animals that take an interest in you can be scary because you never know the intent. Here is a seal playing with me at Octopus Hole in Hood Canal Puget Sound.

ScubaBoard Gallery - Octopus Hole in Hood Canal Puget Sound

At first it was scary, then amusing and then got to be kind of annoying after about 30 min. From all the tugging he did on my fins I was surprised to see very few marks were left. Maybe he liked the Rubbery feel of the Twin Jets. Some people do there open water cert here, must be quite a shock for the newbies when this guy shows up for an extended play session.