The Dogs of the Sea

I'm not going to beat around the bush. This is another blog post about Cape Fur Seals.

"But Rogan, you posted about Seals like two weeks ago!". I know. I know. But this is about an experience that I've wanted to share for a while now. It's best I get it off my chest so that you can get a piece of the action yourselves, because it's one hell of a jol.

In April, a bunch of peeps from the documentary project I've been working on, took a day trip to Hout Bay: the place of stinky fish factories and tamped weekend markets. It was a gorgeous sunny Friday (April is by FAR the best month for probing Cape Town and surrounds) and spirits were high, because we were missing a day in the office - which is always a great kick-in-the-pants to get the weekend started. We arrived in the early morning and congregated in the curio market among the rambling salesmen of shells, carvings and beads.

But we were not to be distracted the lures of the land. Oh no! We had our sights set on something far greater: to swim with the seals of Duiker Island!

#squadgoals

Duiker Island is a very small rocky mound that pokes out of the ocean, just around the corner from the bay itself.

I took this from the interwebz. Please don't sue me Google.

To get us there was the team from Animal Ocean - a fantastic crew of skippers and divers that got us set up and ready to roll around in the blue. They gave us the relevant safety speeches and we were off! It's a very quick trip by boat (about 15-20 minutes) and on a lekker day, there's nothing better than whipping across smooth seas on a fast-ass water-wagon!

Just another day in the office. No Big.

As you leave the harbour, you'll get your first taste of the seals. Our skipper considers these individuals to be 'gangster harbour-seals', a far-cry from the innocent, carefree willings we were off to visit.

There are always a few fatties lounging about on (whatever this weird pipe thing in the harbour is)

Even though it's a short trip, you stand a chance to see penguins, dolphins and even whales! We spotted Humpback - a female who had been a frequent visitor to the spot at the time.

Unfortunately all these pics were taken with a GoPro and my phone... I wasn't brave enough to take my Canon out to sea with me. The Whale looks a lot father away than it really was!

But even if the local wildlife doesn't pitch to put on a show, the views of the mainland are SPECTACULAR.

Booya. The seals know how to choose a rock with a view.

On arrival at the island, the first thing you'll notice is seals. A lot of them. Hundreds of them in fact, crowding the tiny rock and frolicking in the surrounding waters.

Rulers of the rocks.

The second thing you'll notice is the creeping realisation that where there are seals, there are usually sharks. The big, toothy, scary kind. Not the sort of dive buddy you want to share the water with.

Daaa-Dum. Daaa-Dum. Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum.

But at Duiker Island, there are no Johnnies! The shallow water and dense kelp prevent the Great Whites from entering this little enclave of seal-safety. This is evidenced by the fact that hundreds of seals are darting, breezily in the water - without a care in the world!

The rest is history! You get in the water, you swim with some motherf***in' seals.

They're curious as all hell, so they don't mind getting in close to help you snap a better picture. If you're fast enough, cos' these guys never stop moving.

I've likened the seals to dogs in the title of this blog, because they are like frisky puppies in the water. They just want to play and explore. For lack of a decent pair of hands, they're next best exploratory tool is their mouth, which they apply liberally to your fins, snorkel, head, hands and basically anything else they can fit their teeth around.

But they don't bite. They feel. They tug. They lark about. Again, I cannot overemphasise the similarity between these creatures and a dog, that grips your hand in its mouth gently, so as never to hurt you, but to instigate a friendly game of tug-of-war. Despite one pulling my mask off my head by my snorkel at one point (they LOVED nibbling my snorkel), I never once felt threatened or vaguely intimidated by their inquisitive and buoyant behaviour.

I call these the Seal-Bite Selfies. Sometimes they tried to steal the GoPro too!

It's interesting to compare a seal on land and a seal in the water. On land they are clumsy, awkward creatures. But in the water, they duck and glide like fish. An incredible feat of evolution for a mammal.

Fins of a fish, head of a hound.

It's not just their movement. Check out how their eyes POP under water: wide-open orbs to seek out prey in the darkest corners of the Kelp forest.

Compare the eyes to this land-lubbing seal I photographed in Lamberts Bay, amazing difference.

Speaking of Kelp forests... It's an amazing scuba experience to explore these golden groves. I don't think there's anything more tranquil than floating just above the "forest floor" looking up at the canopy sway with the ebb and flow of the waves.

A mystical experience.

If you're not into scuba diving, you can get a similar feel of this at the spectacular Kelp Forest Exhibit at Two Oceans Aquarium (at the V&A Waterfront), which is a favourite spot of mine to spend a few ponderous moments.

And that's it! A phenomenal day spent in the ocean with these jovial aqua-hounds! If you have a chance, I would definitely recommend contacting Animal Ocean for a day trip scuba diving or snorkelling. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and in my opinion, in the top three things to do in Cape Town.

We can all learn a thing or two from dogs: their happy-go-lucky attitude and appreciation for each and every moment is is a skill that us humans should try to adopt. Seals know how to live life to the fullest too. After all, they're just like dogs, except they're under the sea.

"Under the sea Under the sea Darlin' it's better Down where it's wetter Take it from me Up on the shore they work all day Out in the sun, they slave away While we devotin' Full time to floatin' Under the sea!"

- from The Little Mermaid

#blogpost #wildlife #experience