i dont know about you but i have had back to back seal encounters in the water. these things look so fun but i dont trust them. the other day i was out and i wasnt paying attention, but my friend said he saw the seal jump up and dive right under my board. he started screaming at me so i took a wave in and as i looked back the seal was no more than 10 feet away from me. it kept coming closer and closer to shore to see us. but this happened two times haha. those things kinda sketch me out and we do know what seal attract. but yea no seal watching for me im just surfing with them
Last Monday I had a seal encounter on 46th street. Freaked me the hell out at first - a head just popped up and stared at me about 20 yards away. My first reaction was to get away when an unidentified thing makes an appearance, but then that faded as my mind made sense of what it was, though not before I thought it was a human in dive gear. Finally I realized it was a seal , allthose whiskers and what not. he was just chilling, staring with his big eyes at me. I caught a wave and came back out and he was 'gone'. Kinda made my day, it was neat.
I work in above "seal cove" in JL. Everytime I surf, I am surrounded by about 100 of them up here. No joke. They will bump you somtimes, come up and check you out. I have swam with these guys and surfed with them countless times over the years. NEVER, have I EVER had any "bad encounters" with them. They are always super chill. They are very playful and like to check you out. They will roll right up on you, pop their head out and give you the stink eye.... They look like Black Labs when they poke their heads out.... But again, the only time i've had one get mad at me was at Law St in PB, this seal was eating a giant fish right in the impact zone, so I kept taking off and he would duck under with the fish in his mouth, then pop back back up a few seconds later... So this happened like 3 times in 5 minutes, finally, I was heading right towards him again and he looked at be and let out a loud as$ scream. Like a deep, retarded sounding noise, so I got a little spooked and popped out of the way. Then he just swam away, but again, I was interrupting his meal, over and over and over. Finally, the dude was like "WAHAHAHAHAHA", like telling me to let him eat. It was funny. Some inter-species communication. He was just trying to gobble down his fish and I kept blowing it for him But anyway, unless atlantic seals are crazy or something, they are sooo harmless! They are funny as hel1 too! I go watch them on my break, barking at each other. sleeping all over each other like a bunch of bums. they are seriously cool creatures.
This past Wednesday, there was a seal in the line up sitting there staring at me from about 15 feet away in Spring Lake. Anybody else see him?
This past Wednesday I was surfing Avon and about 20 feet away one popped up and just kept starring at me.The way the thing was looking at me was almost human like .You could tell the thing was highly intelligent.After it went under I paddled over to where it was trying to find it.My one buddy told me they can be quite agressive so maybe that wasnt the smartest thing to do on my part but the thing was very cool.
a couple weeks ago i was surfing and i popped up after a close out... and there was a fricken seal 3 feet away from my face.... I almost **** my wetsuit until i realized what it was and it went back under... I think i hit it to, cuz when i took off on a wave i heard my fin thump against something... it looked my dog without ears haha this is my 300th post
There was a seal in Loch Arbour yesterday afternoon. He just checked us out for a minute or two and then bailed.
I've only seen seals in SoCal in the water... I've heard of seals in the Mid Atlantic, but I didn't think it was too common? Seems like all of a sudden they are popping up everywhere?
yeah when i was out i saw them at bradley beach and lavalette. i usually surf loch arbour and its surprising to know they were around there. but good to keep in mind it was just weird cuz i was either by myself or with just one other person the two times i saw them
i wouldnt be to worried about them harming us while we are out. though if i see a whole bunch of them in the water then they disappear that is when i get nervous......
oh yeah and my buddy who surfs up in long island told me some lady got mauled by a seal so it was a little bit uneasy at first haha
thats true too. but its a little less sketchy when there are more people out with you. and if i was to get encounter a shark i would rather it in warm water than cold if that makes any sense haha. but nonetheless i am not afraid of the sharks nor do i think about them when i surf its just encounters like that remind you of those other fish that think were seals haha
Once i was paddling back across the channel with some friends from the wedge in december and managed to get pick up by a friendly boater. they had been out fishing and were telling us to watch out for sharks cause there had been alot of seals around, but i figure they were just trying to freak us out cause they were surfers, prob trying to keep the spot to themselves...not rele worried about shark, a lil in cold water cause then its Jaws, its whatever, if its ur time its ur time.
They come every year and spend the winter in the back bays of certain parts of Jersey. Typically they are Harbor Seals. Years ago I took a class at Stockton (when it was Stockton State College) where we monitored their behavior in Great Bay. They are absolutely beautiful...and large in the water as well as friendly.
That's what I always thought. I have always considered them "sea dogs". That's why it kind of sucks seeing the great white rip their heads off.
Because of education/conservation, the Gray seal population is expanding in the Atlantic. Out of all the spottings mentioned, I'd bet the majority were Grays.
There was a seal chillin on the beach in VB this weekend, but just one. I've been surfing here for 14 years, and it's first time I've seen one. Since it was alone, I approached it to see if it was injured. When I got close, it barked and me and hauled a$$ into the water. I guess it was ok. It was the coolest animal encounter I've had on the East Coast. Sea otters out west are cool as hell too...
Had one in AC Saturday check us out, and kept feeling swirls of water under my feet. The water got very clear Sat. with the NE winds, so it was probally just chillen under us checkin us out. O yea, what eats seals? JAWS. Good thing we are flopping around in black rubber suits causing distress!;
I was checking the surf on Saturday in LB and there were a bunch of people crowed around the boardwalk checking something out at Pav Ave. Naturally, I had to see what the hell was going on so I parked and walked down the beach where I found a bunch of fireman blocking off the jetty where a big a$$ seal was sunbathing. The fireman were def making a big deal about it, wouldn't even let me snap a pic with my phone. I understand they're protecting the people and the seal, but give me a break guys.... just like cops, give someone a little authority and they try and take it a long way. Anyway, I got a little agro with the young fireman and told them I was going to run up and put my wetsuit on to have a swim with the seal and they really took me seriously. The said "don't make us radio the cops down here." HAHAHA CLOWNS!
