Lee-Stuart Evans diving with grey seals in the farne islands – pic by Jenny Lord

As the end of the 2017 diving season drew to a close  diver/photographer Jenny Lord and I took a whirlwind trip up to Northumberland near the Scottish border to have some VERY close underwater encounters with Grey Seals off the Farne Islands. 

The harbour at Seahouses

With a very lucky weekend of perfect calm seas and good weather we knew we were in for a treat and despite the long drive to get to Northumberland we knew it would be well worth it. 

Flat calm seas off Seahouses looking towards the Farne Islands – pic by Lee-Stuart Evans

The Dive Boat ‘Glad Tidings’ we used in the Farne Islands for diving.

We arrived late on the Friday evening and stayed in a cheap local campsite because all the local B and Bs were booked due to us deciding to go so last minute.  The local town to aim for is the delightful Seahouses and we arrived on the dock promptly  the next  morning  ready to load our gear on the boat. One of the superb things about Seahouses is you can literally park on the dock with your car for the day so lugging lots of dive gear and cameras is not an issue.

Seals on the rocks of the Farne Islands

Jenny and I were diving with AP Valves Evolution rebreathers that weekend. The local dive shop was short of oxygen so we were lucky to have enough oxygen and carbon dioxide absorbent to last us the weekend. Unlike conventional SCUBA our units dont make any bubbles and recycle the gas we breathe. Although usually better suited for deeper technical dives on this occasion the silent and bubble free nature of the units meant we would be able to get MUCH CLOSER and interact more with the seals than if we were using SCUBA gear .

Seal submerged in the Farne Islands – pic by Jenny Lord

The established family that have been running boat trips for three generations is the Shiel Family. We used one of their 2 excellent dive boats and after a short 20 to 30 min boat ride we were positioned at the Farne Islands which are just off the coast of Northumberland. The boats are well equipped with hydraulic lifts into the sea so getting in and out of the water was easy.

Farne Islands Seal – pic by Jenny Lord

The islands are a national park and have one of the largest grey seal colonies in the UK at about 8000 seals !  Male seals have a lifespan of about 25 years and females about 35 years. Grey Seals feed on fish , squid and octopus and spend about 80% of their time underwater. They can stay underwater for 4 to 8 minutes and can dive as deep as 30 metres.  As well as seals it is a common place to spot Puffins and dolphins , porpoise, Minke whales and even rare sightings of Humpback and Killer Whales .

Grey Seal in the Farne Islands – pic by Jenny Lord

The boat skillfully dropped us right near one of the rocky outcrops of the island where we could see seals basking on the rocks. This was a good sign that they would be seen underwater too. We didn’t dive deep, in most cases Jenny and I rarely got to 6m in depth and we settled into the underwater garden made up of thick kelp growing from the rocks. As the current slowed and we got to slack water the visibility cleared and all we had to do was wait patiently. ………

Jenny Lord on Evolution Rebreather with Seals int he Farne Islands.

It didn’t take long and the first younger more inquisitive seals arrived , cautious and at a distance at first and then closer and closer passes to figure out what we were . Within a few minutes we had 3 or 4 seals right up at touching distance and posing happily for our cameras as Jenny and I whooped with delight at how playful they were.

Lee-Stuart Evans with Grey Seals in the Farne Islands – pic by Jenny Lord

Seals will creep up behind you and nibble on your fins , they also ‘bark ‘ underwater and make noises at you and spin and twist and glide past effortlessly. Despite the cold water ( about 4Celcius) our drysuits kept us reasonably warm and we enjoyed a superb hour in the water with the seals getting some great photos and memories that we will never forget.

Grey Seal in the Farne Islands – Pic by Jenny Lord

After a short break on the boat and some food and hot tea we dropped in again in the afternoon for more of the same fun. We never needed to fin far, in fact it was better to stay still in the Kelp and wait for the seals to come to us. We even found a very large Bull seal sleeping nearly upright on the seabed . He only moved after about ten minutes to pop up for air then come back down to his previous comfy resting spot.

Lee-Stuart Evans with playful grey seal in the Farne Islands – pic by Jenny Lord

As the boat headed back at the end of the day we both agreed that The Farnes is one of the best showcases of what UK diving has to offer. Shallow and fun, good visibility and a raft of sea life and wrecks makes it well worth the journey even though the sea is quite cold.  Its not the first time I’ve been there and it certainly wont be the last !

And, speaking of sea life, several other locations in the world offer some of the most amazing sea life views, perfect for diving lovers. Places like Indonesia have not only some of the best in terms of sea life, but also amazing diving opportunities. Even if you’re not a diver, you can still enjoy a wonderful time on glinting waters by taking a boat ride or going sailing in Indonesia. There are also opportunities to see some seal species, depending on where you go. Other parts of the world like Antarctica, New Zealand, Ecuador, Hawaii, and Mexico, including various locations in the UK. 

Link to Jenny Lords page   http://diverjennylord.com/

Billy Sheils Boat Tours link http://www.farne-islands.com/