Seals aka rock sausages or blubber icicles are great to interact with when exploring the remote world of Antarctica. The goal is to get close enough were you can truly appreciate their size BUT ensuring they are comfortable and not disturbed in anyway. This is the key way to do your best in getting a great photo of this wild animal in its natural habitat.
The goal is to take some pictures that look something like this…
Slow and steady is key - along with remaining quiet with your voices as well as with the engines on your zodiac. However, each species of seal is different and will react differently to the same approaching technique.
Crabeater seal ~ the most timid and can be really easily disturbed if you are not careful. It could be they are on the menu for some larger marine mammal predators so they do get a little concerned when large things approach them
A zodiac with guests doing a great job interacting with a resting Crabeater seal on an ice floe
Leopard seals ~ Besides being absolutely amazing and complete bad-asses in the world of predators in Antarctica they do not fear much. They are an apex predator and show no signs of being afraid of humans. As a result they are not really concerned about us at all. However, they are a large predator and can get annoyed, which instead of simply swimming away to hide they can approach and be aggressive to boats - biting and tearing the air inflated tubes of a zodiac for example…
My colleague absolutely nailing how to interact with a leopard seal in Antarctica
At the end of the day proceeding with caution and constantly observing the animals behaviour is key to ensure zero to little negative impact is put on the animal while you are present.
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