Seal Spotting

Searching for seals

Seals are a common sight in the Netherlands, but spotting them lounging on the mainland's beaches is a rare treat. It is more common to see them on the islands. So, in January, we decided to head to the southern part of the Netherlands in search of seals. We were lucky to find a group of 14 seals after walking for almost 4 kilometres on a beautiful day with lots of sunshine. We didn't want to disturb them, so we crawled closer on our stomachs (thankfully wearing rainsuits!). We spent several hours watching the seals from a safe distance of 30 meters, and some of them even approached us out of curiosity.

After our challenging trek back, we were unsure if we would visit this group of seals again. Four kilometres with fierce headwinds, loose sand, and heavy backpacks was quite far! However, any doubts we had were soon resolved.

Waiting for the best shot

A week later, we heard about a seal pup on another part of the beach within reasonable walking distance, and we headed there. The pup was still young and spent most of the day sleeping, but we were still able to capture some fantastic photos. However, we were disappointed to see a photographer violating the 30-meter rule, causing the pup to show signs of stress. Thankfully, some fellow photographers intervened and asked him to back off. We must always respect animals and keep our distance when in nature. If you want better photos, use a zoom lens instead of disturbing the animals.

It was a long wait, and the weather kept changing. Sometimes, we enjoyed the sunshine, but the next moment, a cloud would cover the sun, the wind would pick up, and hail would start falling around us. On the other hand, these changing weather conditions sometimes led to some activity from the seal pup, and they created interesting settings for our photographs.

Responsibility

Overall, it was a treat to photograph seals this year. The seal pup was incredibly cute, and we enjoyed watching it for hours. However, the presence of many people and some irresponsible behaviour was a drawback. In the future, we may stick to our first option of walking a long distance to a less crowded area. We highly recommend seal photography, but always remember to respect the animals and their natural habitat.

Seal chilling on the beach

Seal pup