Text and Photograph by Steve Jones
inadequately prepared for the pending encounter with the mighty leopard seal. Second only to the orca as the top Antarctic predator, the leopard seal can grow to over ten feet (3m) and weigh 1325lbs (600kg), sustained with a varied diet that ranges from krill to penguin and even other seals. Initially our search yields nothing, but that changes within moments
T
when several penguins and an Antarctic fur seal hurriedly hurl themselves out of the water. I wonder if I should do the same. With an uneasy feeling that I’m being watched,
I turn and my heart jumps as I stare into the
piercing, intelligent eyes of a huge leopard seal barely a yard (0.9m) from me. Unable to hold its interest for more than a few seconds, it speeds off. Shortly, two more seals arrive in the area and for the next hour we witness an amazing social display as these engaging animals interact between themselves and with every one of us. My friend Martin Vavrek gets a close up view like no other when one of the seals becomes intrigued by its own reflection in his camera. Throughout the encounter we witness no aggression from these top predators, only inquisitiveness and playfulness as they swim with us until we can take the cold no longer.
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he fearsome reputation of the animal I seek weighs heavily on my mind as I lower myself into water that barely touches 30°F (-1°C). Even with a multitude of dives with grey seals in British waters, I still feel
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