I was fortunate enough to be at the Robberg peninsula seal sanctuary just at the right time of year now, to see and photograph masses of new born seal pups playing and frolicking just offshore.
This is Robberg beach and peninsula, a seal sanctuary and marine protected environment, with a permanent seal colony. They have pups this time of year and it's just an awesome inspiring sight to see so many of them so close to the shore, surfing just beneath the surface of the waves as they curl over and crash to shore.
They are perhaps staying close to shore to avoid the sharks that also patrol these waters. Sometimes, one every few years, a tourist is bitten by a shark and occasionally dies.
Whales are also about to arrive in this sheltered Plettenberg Bay any day now, and sometimes it's possible to sight them from shore as their trails and fins protrude or they jump right out of the water in play.
They're harder to capture in photo but today's seal sighting is just as rare. The photos show the seals as small black dots in the water so you have to zoom in, or see them on a bigger screen ideally.
The feeling of being right there with them is hard to capture on my little camera, though I'm sure you can imagine. Nature in all is purity and wildness is within reach for those who may wish to take a swim in the cool waters.
It's not too cold actually, much warmer than the Atlantic ocean just west of here. And the winter sun is warm, despite the chilly breeze. What a pristine pure and picturesque place to enjoy a warm winters day.
Being so close up to the wildlife is not too difficult in Africa, of course, and this communion with the seals is a rare experience of a more unusual kind, compared to the other African wildlife, but it feels just as powerful and intimate.
When I stare at them, I wonder if they perceive the humans pushing them by on shore. I suppose they do, as sentient mammals with the consciousness of a dog, for example.
I'm so glad I could share the rare photos with you so that you can consider visiting if you're interested in wildlife and the pure sights that nature at its best has to offer.
Photos my own.