Seals

I recently did a free-dive at a place called Oudekraal, a shore-entry dive just a few miles south of Cape Town, on the west-facing Atlantic side of the peninsula.

Swimming with seals is such an emotional thing. They swim around you like curious puppies and when you mimic one of their twirls, they think it’s a game and copy you, looking at you to do it again.

A seal is a marine version of a dog. They even 'bark' underwater at you when they want your attention.

They have the same expressivity as dogs, and love playing in the water - they are probably one of the most free, uninhibited, spontaneously happy species on the planet.

The best way to interact with them is by freediving. The noise of a scuba demand-valve scares them, and most other sea-mammals. So it's safe to say seals aren't fond of bubblers (freediver term for a scuba diver).

Seals also won't approach you very closely if you stay on the surface. That's not how other sea mammals behave, and it feels foreign to them, so they keep their distance.

But if you descend to around 5 to 10 metres (15 - 30 feet), you enter their domain, and it's a different experience altogether.

(Me heading down to play with the seals - thanks Helen Walne for the pic!)

Now you're one of them, and they become intensely curious, swimming right up to you to inspect this funny fishy thing with two long legs instead of a tail. We are a source of endless fascination to them and vice versa.

I would love to spend more time with them underwater to learn their behaviour better - it might be interesting to interact with them using a rebreather. If anyone has done this please let me know.

(Me saying goodbye to my new bffs)

Seals: I never expected them to be so playful or affectionate. Wonderful.

(Thank you fellow freedivers Helen and Heidi for sharing the pics)