HUG ME! - Amazing wildlife encounters

[bburville]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lucgrSZTfJs

Safe diving,
Ben "Seal diver"

[John_C]

Great video clip.. Have green

[Yazzyfooty]

How do you manage to get them to come to you? In a couple of clips they seem to be very interested in the hoods, are you slipping a fish in there? :)

Brilliant footage yet again.

[Maria CM]

these are so good :)

best wishes,

Maria

[bburville]

I NEVER use any bait -it would be VERY DANGEROUS!

The best way to get really good encounters is with patience (av dive time 90mins min), using various gestures (body language) and also some nosies (vocalisations) - these I've copied from the seals.

Safe diving,
Ben "Seal diver"

www.youtube.com/bburville

[minos]

That is an incredible video!! Quick question though are seals ever aggressive? What about if pups are involved? What sort of risk are you at when diving nearby? Cracker vid tho :D

[bburville]

Seals can be aggressive (if they are cornered, threatened or if you encroach on a bull seal when he's being territorial) BUT generally they are extremely gentle.

To put this in perspective - I'd be happier close to a wild grey seal (140-250kg+) than a large domestic dog (30-60kg) any time!

When they have pupped and are feeding (fat rich milk) on the land for c. 3weeks they are very aggressive towards anyone coming near them!
In the water the scientists will have you believe that they don't really stay together and that the mum seal abandons her pup after 3 weeks BUT I have seen them together underwater and I've even had the mother seal play with me then let the pup play with me! (whilst she hung a few feet away in the water!)

Hope that helps.
Ben "Seal diver"
www.youtube.com/bburville

[ChristianG]

That is an incredible video!! Quick question though are seals ever aggressive? What about if pups are involved? What sort of risk are you at when diving nearby? Cracker vid tho :D
Preamble: animals, especially mammals, do three things very well: eating, playing and sleeping. Just consider your dog and/or cat.

In '92, thereabouts anyway, a former friend and I went to Adelaide, South Australia to dive aboard the Falie to the Pearson Islands (http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au/magazine/43/pearsonislands.htm), Oz was somewhere to the north, Antarctica somewhere to the south and there was a seal colony, Australian fur seals.

Now these islands, dots on the ocean, are rarely visited, even by lobster fishermen, leave alone lonely kayakers and so the seals came out to play - their style! One medium grown one, call it a teenager, approached my arm with a very avaricious eye and I swiftly withdrew said arm - it's already been severely wounded by a rather large moray. I have a series of photos of, probably, that same seal coming up to a hooded diver and biting at the air from his hood - as soon as the teeth bared that seal was not cute any more and they all nibbled at our fins, I can't imagine for any other reason than for a taste test.

It's a shame that the Falie is no more, because the Pearsons are spectacular, quite shallow diving and Falie was the only boat to go there in diving mode. It was a wonderful trip, around '92, that I will never forget.

Seals, like any wild animal, can be dangerous - never forget that, treat them with the respect that they deserve.

[Maria CM]

I am just completely jealous - I want to dive there and have hugs too:)

best wishes,

Maria